Key to my Heart
by Daughter of the Oceans
Summary: When one has too many masks, who could possibly want to peel them all off for you? She's there but not there at the same time. People have noticed, but none took the time to see the true, broken her. An aspiring yet lazy manga artist who snoozes too much, is there another reason she really takes so many naps? Maybe he can find the key to her heart and open it.
1. Life is boring

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **I realize that working on two stories at one time may lead to one not being updated in a while, but other authors have done it, so I can do it!**

 **Kudos to one of my most favorite authors, LilweenGalatrass, who literally produces amazing and realllllllllllllllllllly long chapters to multiple stories at once, regularly!**

The very _first_ time he saw her was on the first day of school. He was walking with Kindaichi to Aoba Johsai when he saw the girl among the cherry trees. Her long, ebony hair swirled around with the cherry blossom petals, and her school uniform swished in the gentle breeze. Her skin was very pale, she'd look white in the moonlight and delicate silver glasses were perched on her nose.

He found it strange that she was just standing there with her eyes closed, she would be late for school if she stood there any longer.

Yet he couldn't find himself taking his eyes of her. As if he was under a spell she had cast upon him. She was breathtaking. He had never seen here anywhere, maybe she went to another junior high?

"Oi, Kunimi, we're going to be late for class if you keep standing there." Kindaichi broke the enchantment.

Kunimi blinked slowly. "Ah. Sorry for holding you up."

The two continued on their way to Aoba Johsai, but he couldn't help but to take one last glance at the mysterious girl.

She had disappeared, as if she had never been there and was a transparent ghost from his imagination.

Strange.

The _second_ time he saw her was when he reached class and saw the girl sitting in the very back corner of the classroom, next to the window. She looked like she was snoozing away, without a care in the world.

But he couldn't focus on her. She was just a classmate, and he had more important things to worry about. Like schoolwork and making the regulars for the volleyball team.

So Kunimi ignored her and sat down at his desk.

Like everyone else.

The _third_ time he saw her was on the way to the volleyball gymnasium. She was sleeping on a bench near the gymnasium.

He thought it was an odd place to sleep, much less in the middle of the afternoon.

Even as they passed her, she kept on sleeping. She looked incredibly calm and relaxed, despite sleeping on a hard, school bench without any covering.

Peculiar is what he thought.

The _fourth_ time he saw her was on the way home. He was walking with Kindaichi and he saw her walking down the dark streets. Alone.

It was dangerous, but he guessed she knew what she was doing. Perhaps she had slept too long.

Unfortunately, Kindaichi, also noticing the girl, shouted out to her. "Oi! It's dangerous to be out alone at this time!"

Kunimi sighed, Kindaichi just created more trouble for them.

The girl turned around, and Kunimi saw her eyes for the first time.

They were a shimmering, bright turquoise blue, with deep emerald green swirled together perfectly. It seemed as her eyes were the sparkling stars themselves. The silver glasses framed her eyes perfectly.

"I know it's dangerous." The girl replied simply, her voice echoing like a soft melody.

"Then why go home at this time?" Kindaichi asked, his simple brain confuzzled.

She blinked sleepily. "Because I can. Good night."

With that, she walked away, without another word.

Kunimi snickered, Kindaichi had just been totally dissed by her.

The latter was confused and just a bit dismayed, but the two junior high students continued on their merry way home, mostly without second thoughts. Kunimi found his first day of high school pretty normal, except the girl. She made the day just a tad out of the ordinary. But she was just someone.

No one special or worth remembering. She was just a classmate.

And things would always stay like that.

 **(Insert imaginary line break, someone want to tell me how to actually insert one? Pretty please?)**

Ichijo Eri was, what you could call a normal girl.

She had two loving (and sometimes a bit weird) parents, an older brother, and a good friend.

She baked, cooked, read manga, watched anime, drew, ate healthy and not so healthy foods, wrote, listened to music and occasionally gardened. That's how her life pretty much went.

Also, her favorite hobby was sleeping. She could sleep anywhere, whenever.

She never slept during class, but she never fully paid attention. She was smart enough to get good grades without putting forth the extra work to actually study or pay attention. After once or twice she heard it in class, she could usually remember it.

She was incredibly lazy, never liking to do anything unnecessary. She'll put in hard work when needed, but other than that she didn't like expend extra energy that could be used for naps.

Her first day at Aoba Johsai High School was normal, except for those two boys who yelled at her on the way home. That was annoying. Of course, since she would be getting home so late, her parents would probably be thinking she joined a club or something. Which would be a first. Not that she hated clubs, but they always required her to do extra things. And that was a given NO. Her older brother and his girlfriend (his girlfriend was so nice and amazing) were both in the art club, which is where Eri's talent would best shine. But too much work. So she had never joined a club.

Although she couldn't figure out how she got roped into helping her cousin with his duties in his club. It made her run around, and she absolutely despised running. She'd roller skate and bike leisurely, that was it. And maybe a bit of attempting volleyball every once or a while. Boy was she tired.

Finally, she reached her modest home. A two story, with four bedrooms. It was modest, quaint and homey.

Upon entering, she knew she had arrived right after dinner was finished. Bummer.

"Oh, Eri! You're home!" The sound of her mother's voice reached Eri's ears.

Tatsu Ichijo is what you would call an elegant beauty. She had medium length snow white hair and gorgeous violet eyes that shimmered. It was easy to see how Eri's father fell in love with her, along with Tatsu's kind and warm personality. Eri inherited her father's ebony hair and blue-green eyes.

"Hey Mom." Eri answered politely.

Her mother smiled brightly. "I heard from your cousin you were helping him, so I saved you dinner."

Eri almost melted from happiness. Way to go Mom!

"Thanks," Eri replied, heading for the dining room.

Her brother was clearing off the table except for her plate of heavenly food. Yama Ichijo, age 16 and a second year at Aoba Johsai. He got their mother's stunning looks. With his white hair and piercing violet eyes, he was quite popular among the girls. Yet he stayed faithful to his girlfriend, who he had been dating since his third year of junior high. He was just a bit shorter than some of his peers, standing at 179 cm. Eri herself was only 162 cm, a few centimeters below her mother.

His smile widened when he saw his beloved younger sister.

"Eri-chan! There's your dinner." He nodded to the bowl of curry.

Eri sat down, picking up a set of chopsticks. "Thanks."

Immediately, she was tackled by her brother from behind, trapping her in a tightly knitted hug.

"Eri-chan!"H sang while practically choking her. "You should really smile more!"

"I don't smile." She replied bluntly while trying to escape her brother's clutches.

"You never smile!" Yama whined.

Eri finally wriggled out of her brother's arm. "Yama-nii, while I am eating, what's my rule?" A dangerous gleam glinted in her eyes.

Her brother chuckled weakly. "Don't ever disturb you, right, got it. BYE!" He dashed off, probably to the safety of his bedroom.

Eri dined quite happily on her curry, although her face always had this neutral, sleepy look. So most people amused she was never happy or sad, rather having no emotions. Which was totally untrue, just that she didn't like wearing her emotions on her sleeve like a certain third year setter from Seijoh she had heard about from her cousin. Honestly, why did girls idolize and worship him? Oikawa Tooru is just a flirty playboy who would marry the sport of volleyball if it was possible.

After she finished her delicious meal, thanks mom, she washed the few dishes and headed to her room for relaxation before bed.

However, she is also a very indecisive person, so she couldn't choose if she wanted to read manga, watched anime or draw manga. So she spun her delicate, sea blue-green glass bottle. Not exactly that type of method you would normally use for decision making, but it worked.

Sketching it was.

Sitting at her desk, she took out the project she had been working at for a few weeks. A picture of a Japanese girl in a decorative white kimono sitting on a wooden bench among the beautiful Sakura trees of the blooming spring. A small koi fish pond would be nearby with several bonsai trees and bamboo pots decorating the koi pond. It would be her greatest masterpiece to date.

That is, if she could ever finish it. She was stuck on how to make the water look like it was rippling perfectly.

Just about as she was about to begin to draw, her dad entered unexpectedly.

Like his daughter, Ryuu Ichijo had ebony hair and shimmering blue green eyes. Like his wife, he was incredibly kind and understanding, but just a bit more audacious that his wife. He also stood at 182 cm, the tallest member of the household.

"Oh, Eri, are you still working on that Japanese girl?" Her dad asked from the doorway.

She nodded softly. Although she really didn't care much for how her dad came in suddenly, it was HIS house after and he was the parent, not her.

Ryuu smiled softly. "Sorry, I can't help you with that one. Maybe your mother?"

Eri's mother was a famous illustrator who did many of her own paintings as well as being hired to do professional art projects by the public. She had taught her children all the secrets to the skills of art. Eri's father, on the other hand, was a famous novelist who mainly wrote fantastical stories, novels with magic, myths and the supernatural. He taught his children how to tell and write a good story.

Eri shrugged. "She's really busy right now with that project for that company from Yokohama. I don't want to ask her to help when she's already got so much work."  
Ryuu sighed and smiled gently at his daughter. "Sweetie, she's your mother and she loves you dearly. She'd put aside a million dollar project to help you solve a grade school problem. But that is very considerate of you."

Eri nodded. "I'm going to bed."

Her father kissed the top of her head softly. "How was your first day of high school?"

"Eh. Boring and normal." Eri responded blankly.

It really was.

"Well, I'm sure it will get better. Oyasumi." Ryuu chuckled then left the room.

Eri sat still for a moment. "Oyasumi," she whispered quietly.

Perhaps her dad would be right. Maybe life would get more interested. For now though, that bed was desperately calling her name, and she didn't want to make her bed empty for _too_ long.

#

The next day, Eri got ready as usual, meaning she woke up 15 minutes before it was time to leave. She always slept in her uniform so she wouldn't have to change in the morning. Meaning her uniform was always wrinkled and her mom was never too happy about that.

She ate her breakfast and brushed her teeth and hair. She was ready to go. She stood by the door, waiting for a certain someone who was late.

"Wait! I'm coming!" Yama frantically rushed out from his room and skidded to a halt at the door. "Let's go."

Outside, a 16 year old girl, who was slightly taller than Eri, awaited them. She had long luscious lilac hair and lavender eyes with pale, a true beauty.

"Himi-chan!" Yasumu called out cheerfully.

Himiko Toyosaki smiled gently. "Eri-chan, Yama-kun."

Eri gave Himiko a short, friendly nod, then the trio set off for the second day of high school.

How thrilling.

When they reached the gates, Eri went her separate ways and let her brother and his girlfriend have some alone time before class.

"Let's see, first period is English, I can sleep through that one." She mused thoughtfully, heading for her classroom.

Since their father's work led him sometimes to different places, she and her brother were fluent in Chinese, Korean, and English. English was the hardest to learn.

Sitting down at her desk in the very back corner, she yawned softly and made herself comfy.

Yet she was rudely awakened by the teacher's annoyed calls.

"Ichijo-san, I would ask you to please refrain from sleeping in my class!" The teacher irritably called. "Or if you think these lessons are a waste of time and useless please translate this phrase."

Eri squinted to see the English sentence. It shouldn't be too hard.

" _ **If I may ask politely, please hand me that glass of cool, refreshing water. It is a sweltering summer and I'm about to die of heatstroke**_ **."** She perfectly said, astounding her teacher and classmates. (The italicized and bold means she spoke in English.)

"Um, well, uh," the teacher stammered. "Well done. I see you are good in this subject."

Eri blinked sleepily and returned back to her slumber.

Most of her classmates were either jealous, annoyed or awestruck, and she sensed this. It was partially why she really never had friends. Also no one wanted a lazy girl as a friend. She didn't mind, her family and Himiko's family was enough.

She had many associates and acquaintances but very few friends, practically none.

Oh well, sometimes life works in ways she could never understand.

To her relief later, lunch time had creeped onto her like a silent, stealthy assassin. Opening her yummy smelling bento, she delicately picked up her chopsticks and began eating. Lunch in her classroom was pretty peaceful, with the occasional squeal from a girl or boy.

Until he arrived.

It was the spiky head boy from last night, the turnip head.

"Oi! Kunimi, want to eat lunch with me!?" The really tall boy asked excitedly.

Eri blinked in muted annoyance at the tall boy. He shattered her placid tranquility.

The boy she guessed was Kunimi, and the other boy from last night, sighed. "Might as well since you're already here."

Kunimi….she recognized him as the boy who sat in the row two away from her, one seat up. He seemed boring, and really lazy, like her. Kindaichi on the other hand, appeared loud, boisterous and hot tempered. Not someone she really wanted to associate herself with. Still, she shouldn't judge so easily. She constantly analyzed people and sometime pegged them on the wrong peg. It was a habit she kind of needed to stop.

Eri returned to her own business, not giving a second thought about those two boys. They're not important in her life.

However, as fate would have it, once again after school her cousin required her help with his club.

'Come to the gym and take these papers to the principal, PLEASEEEEEEEEEE, I can't the boys or they'll go crazy!' her cousin texted her after school.

She sighed in exasperation, already typing her answer. 'Fine.'

Begrudgingly, she shuffled to where her cousin was. Why he couldn't have done it himself she had no idea, but because he was family she helped him out. Even if it made her work, because all she really wanted right now was a nap. After a few minutes hunting down the right building, she sighed, putting down her bag next to the door. Already she could hear the volleyballs smacking the shiny wooden floor inside. She prayed she wouldn't get hit. Because getting hit would mean more work for her.

Sighing again, she slid open the door, making all the heads inside turn and stare at her.

One third year whom she recognized as Iwaizumi Hajime (she had tons of data on practically everyone in the school and people from other schools, even without ever meeting them. Creepy) stepped forward. "If you're one of Oikawa's fangirls, please leave until practice is over or go into the balconies above to wait."

Eri pursed her lips thoughtfully. She would die before being labeled as a fangirl of Oikawa.

"Ehh? That's no way to speak to a lady, Iwa-chan!" There was the annoying Grand King himself.

Lucky her.

Oikawa Tooru stepped forward with a charming (and totally fake) smile and an outstretched hand. "Pleased to meet another fan, but please wait until prac-"

Eri interrupted his royal highness with a bored gleam in her eyes. "You disgust me. Please refrain from calling me one of your fans." She stated neutrally and bluntly, but the message slapped Oikawa right in the face.

Another third year with pink-brown hair, Hanamaki Takahiro, burst out laughing along with Iwaizumi and the last third year, Matsukawa Issei. Several of the second years snickered quietly while the first years were appalled at Eri's statement, most of them idolizing their precious captain.

Mizoguchi Sadayuki, the assistant coach stepped forward to speak with Eri.

Most of the volleyball members believed Mizoguchi was going to scold the strange girl that abruptly interrupted their practice. They were also curious why Irihata Nobuteru, their head coach didn't yell at the girl either.

To their immense surprise and to Eri's annoyance, Mizoguchi tightly hugged Eri, stars shining in his eyes.

"Oh dear little Eri, how I've missed you!" Mizoguchi trilled cheerfully, the complete opposite of what he was in during practices and matches.

Eri gasped softly, precious air leaving her lungs. "Sada-kun, don't hug me." She said bluntly and calmly.

Mizoguchi released her, a broad smile on his lips. "Sorry, but I've missed you!"

Eri sighed and raised an eyebrow, as did Irihata. "You literally saw me yesterday and had me running around, which you KNOW I hate, to do your errands."

Mizoguchi grinned sheepishly. "Details, details." His smile grew just a bit more serious. "The papers are in my bag on the bench. Just deliver them and that would be great!"

Eri mentally groaned the principal's office was on the other side of the school grounds. "Sada-kun, you owe me ramen tomorrow afternoon." She walked towards the bench, where Irihata and the bag were. "Good afternoon Irihata-sama," she said politely.

Irihata smiled warmly, often viewing Eri as family. "Eri-san, how delightful to see you. I hope you'll stop by more often."

Eri deadpanned. "Knowing Sadayuki, I probably will be."

Irihata laughed good-naturedly. She was probably right. Eri quickly fished the papers of the official VBC documents for Mizoguchi and headed out. She noticed Kunimi and Kindaichi's shocked faces and now knew the two were in the volleyball club. Which meant she would most likely see them more often now.

Joy.

She sighed while walking towards the Principal's office…..all the way on the other side of the school ground. Sadayuki better be getting her some nice, yummy, high quality ramen tomorrow.

 **(To help a fellow author, want to tell me how to insert those fancy line breaks you see in other stories?)**

Kunimi was pretty dumbfounded, though he didn't show it like most of his club mates did. Oikawa was a dying mess in particular.

"Hey, did you see how she totally dissed Oikawa!"

"Coach Mizoguchi was really weird, don't you think?"

"That was strange, but cool."

"Coach Irihata was also pretty strange there too thought."

"Is she a first year, I've never seen her. Or seen Coach Mizoguchi act so happy and familiar with someone before."

"Man, for a first year, she was pretty hot."

The rumors and whispers flew around the gym like wildfire. Kunimi heard Kindaichi sputtering in confusion. The girl left a chaotic mess in her wake. He remembered her as the girl who always was sleeping in the back corner of the classroom yet answered that really tough English question flawlessly. Already knowing her last name was Ichijo, Kunimi now knew her first name.

Eri.

Blessed prize. Quite fitting for her.

Kunimi lightly smirked. Maybe life would get more interesting now. From what he heard, Mizoguchi was usually strict and stern, not like the bubbly man he was with the girl.

"Coach! Who was she?!" Oikawa shrieked in desperation, his pride and ego quite wounded.

Mizoguchi opened his mouth to speak but Yahaba beat him to it.

"She's Mizoguchi's cousin, I remember when she came in last year to give Mizoguchi his forgotten lunch during practice." Yahaba answered smartly.

Hanamaki squinted suspiciously at his kouhai. "Are you sure? Because I sure don't remember her."

"Because Yahaba was the one who told me she was at the door but didn't open it to disturb us." Mizoguchi said with the slight undertone of irritation. Regular Mizoguchi was back. "Yahaba's the only one who has probably seen her besides these past two days."

That made sense.

"Now back to practice!" Mizoguchi barked and the volleyball players hastily resumed their practice.

All Kunimi knew was the game was now more intriguing with the newest player addition, Ichijo Eri.

 **All right, chapter one done! Seriously, anyone want to help me? I'd prefer if you'd PM me, but leave to review to help me with these stupid line breaks that I have absolutely no idea how to do. That was probably a run on sentence, sorry to all the grammar people out there!**

 **Anyway, enough with this rambling, hoped you enjoyed this!**


	2. I hate Oikawa

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **To those all who read my first chapter, thanks so much!**

 **Jungkookies: Thanks so much for helping me out! It really meant a lot, so thanks again!**

 **Also, quick note. Eri isn't going to wear glasses anymore because I was editing some things and realized I didn't want her to wear glasses anymore. And while the first few chapters won't really have the Haikyuu characters, it's for the character development and she'll get very involved with those crazy Seijoh boys soon.** **Also the cover pic is Eri except Eri has ebony hair instead of gray hair.**

* * *

The moment Eri got home, she darted up the stairs and fell face first onto her bed, snoozing away happily. It was a good, nice, looooooooooooong nap.

She was awoken later by Himiko, who was eating at their house that night.

"Eri-chan, Tatsu-san made dinner," Himiko's soft voice cracked through Eri's sleepy façade.

If there's one thing that can rival Eri's passion for naps, it's food. Eri sighed, then roused her body to leave its extremely warm and comfy bed. Trudging towards to smell of food downstairs, Eri remembered that homework she had. Oh well, she should be able to get it done quickly.

Mom greeted them at the dinner table. "It's soba noodles and sushi tonight."

Eri's eyes lit up, though her face stayed the sleepy, bored look it always was.

Gathering at the table, the four members of the Ichijo household plus Himiko began their dinner. They usually held pleasant conversations while eating.

Currently, Yama was excitedly telling his parents about the lovely paintings the Art Club was working on commemorating spring.

"Yeah, Himiko and I just need to find the right shade of light pink for the highlights of the petals," Yama explained, mostly to his mother.

"I'll show you two some color wheels I have after dinner, maybe you can find the right color in those," Mom smiled kindly.

Himiko smiled warmly. "Thank you Tatsu-san."

Tatsu scoffed lightly. "Oh Himiko, when are you ever going to call me auntie?"

It was a running thing that Tatsu and Ryuu practically considered Himiko part of the Ichijo family. Eri agreed, thinking about how much Himiko spent at their house in her own parent's absence. It wasn't that Himiko's parents didn't love her, it's just that since they were both police officers, they were busy with work a lot. Tatsu was always about concerned over Himiko spending so much time alone, and dragged Himiko over a lot. It resulted several years later that Himiko even had her own bedroom at Eri's house.

Himiko then turned to Eri. "Eri-chan, how was your day?"

Eri's left eye twitched, recalling Sadayuki and how he made her run to the principal's office.

"It was good. I met the volleyball team." Eri shrugged, it was another boring day. "I kind of want to get that manga project done."

Tatsu's eyes shone with mirth as she targeted her son. "Oh Yama! When are you going to propose to Himiko and make her officially part of the family?!"

Yama choked on his noodles and started hacking away while Himiko was trying to help Yama breathe with a wild crimson blush on her cheeks.

Ryuu laughed loudly. "Then we'd be a family full of artists!"

Eri wanted to be a manga artist, while Yama desired to pursue a career in drawing anime animation. Himiko wanted to go into graphic designing, so Ryuu's words true…and hilarious.

Yama finally stopped coughing and glared at his mom. "MOMMMM! Don't say things like that!"

Tatsu and Ryuu were still giggling like five year olds, not hearing a word their son was saying.

Eri sweat dropped at her parents usual antics. "I'll clean up tonight Yama-nii."

She got up and started clearing off the table. Tatsu finally recovered from her laughing fit and began assisting her daughter in cleaning the dinner table.

"Speaking of that, Eri, have you found yourself a good boyfriend yet?" Tatsu asked with a mischievous wink.

Eri sighed, why was her mother so quirky? Unfortunately, both her father and brother heard that statement, which triggered both of them.

"Not on my watch!" Yama snapped fiercely.

While Dad was a bit more laid back on the subject of dating, he still was protective of Eri. Yama had declared he would forever make sure Eri was treated right and no boy would ever look at her. Which was insanely impossible but Yama was extremely protective (and sometimes creepily possessive) of his baby sister.

Eri deadpanned. "No mom. I don't plan on dating anyone."

"Good!" Yama interjected strongly, making Himiko face palm behind him.

Tatsu chuckled. "Surely you've seen some eye candy?"

Tatsu's statements were making Ryuu and Yama squirm in their seats.

Eri really hadn't been paying attention and she didn't really want to. "No mom. I haven't."

Eri quickly finished the dishes and retreated upstairs, pulling out the project she had been tediously toiling over for the past few weeks. Ignoring the water for a while, she started to draw the bamboo pots near the bottom of the pond. She had been working on it for a few minutes when she heard her mother's soft footsteps entered her bedroom.

"Hey sweetie," Tatsu called softly and walked next to Eri's desk, where Eri was sitting and drawing. "I'm sorry if I made you upset earlier at dinner." Tatsu's motherly aspects were reviving themselves.

Eri nodded no. "No mom, it's ok. You didn't make me upset."

Tatsu smiled kindly and gently hugged her daughter. "I'm glad. You know you can come to me anytime you need to talk, right?"

"Yeah."

Tatsu then looked at the drawing Eri was struggling over. "What's the problem?"

Eri glanced at her mother for just a second then back at the drawing. "I can't make the water ripples realistic enough."

"Oh that, well here, let me show you how," Tatsu picked up the pencil and made several strokes onto the paper, creating a few good ripples.

Eri peered at the strokes her mom made and closely studied the paper. Those looked very realistic.

"Thanks Mom," Eri said, finally knowing how to draw the water ripples correctly.

Tatsu smiled softly. "I love you Eri dear." Tatsu kissed Eri's forehead and left the room, leaving Eri in complete silence.

Which she loved. But she also loved her mom, more than food or naps, more than silence or art. Because those things could easily be replaced (not exactly drawings but you know what she meant). They were just objects. Her mother was something no one could ever replace. Ever. Mom was one of a kind. And Eri loved her mother deeply.

While working on her project, she also pondered on her day's events. One, she was really annoyed at her cousin's whimsical demands. Two, she really wanted that ramen and would do anything to make sure she got it from her cousin. Three, the volleyball club was full of idiots. Case closed, time to take a shower and scramble through that homework and get it done as fast as possible.

She took a really long time on that shower, the warm water felt really nice against her skin like that.

Also, luckily for her, that night it was just review and really easy stuff. Not even bothering to have good penmanship, Eri breezed through her homework and even though it was only 9:26 pm at night, she was wiped. She finished putting on her uniform and crawled back into her lovely, lovely, and lovely bed. Just then, as she was falling asleep, she heard a meow through the darkness. That's right, she forgot to feed the cats, and they always came to her if she forgot.

All of her cats were female. Sora was a white with blue eyes, the vet said the eyes were a mutation. Riri was black with a white underbelly and paws and had brown eyes. Yuki was a Russian Blue cat, while Kyoto was a black cat with gold eyes. Finally, Miyah was a Himalayan Cat with electric blue eyes.

Eri sighed, then hauled herself out of her bed to feed the cats. They all trailed along behind her while meowing, their eyes shining with happiness because they saw her as the provider of food. Eri grabbed the cat food from the pantry and poured the food into the cat's respective food bowls.

And then her dogs came because they smelt the food. Kin was her male orange-tan colored Pomeranian while Gin was her female white Pomeranian. They both yapped and yipped happily, wanting to be feed.

"No Kin and Gin. I already fed you two." Eri said simply, but the dogs recognized her voice as the head authority and they wilted gloomily.

She petted her dogs lovingly, making them perk up again and squeal in delight.

Honestly…. Her dogs were simpletons, like a certain owl head ace of Fukurodani she knew. Poor Akaashi, having to deal with Bokuto-san.

Her cats slinked up sneakily under her hands, desiring to be pet as well. She sighed, she love her cats and dogs too much sometimes. Also they liked to sleep in her room on the floor instead of downstairs like they were supposed to. Her parents didn't care, and neither did Yama. Eri honestly didn't care either, she just had to be careful in the morning not to step on them. She returned to her room, all eight of her cherished pets following her obediently like baby ducks following the mama duck.

Bundling herself back into her bed, she felt her favorite cat (not like she would ever admit it), Yuki, stealthily clamber into the bed next her bed. Yuki softly purred, Eri being able to hear her cat's purring.

Good night finally.

When Eri woke up, she had 10 minutes till she had to leave for school like she always did. Sleepily, she trudged down the stairs, grabbing the bowl of breakfast her mother had left out for her. Quickly eating it, she regularly brushed her hair and teeth then pulled on her shoes, ready to leave.

Yama and Himiko, who slept over, were going to make her late unless they hurried up. After another 5 minutes of waiting, Eri huffed and walked to the door, leaving her brother and friend. And then she noticed the note on the door.

 _Heyyyyyyyyy Eri!_

 _Himiko and I have already left, so go on without us._

 _We had to get to club really early, and didn't want to wake you up._

 _See you at school!_

 _-Yama_

No way.

Eri whipped her head towards the clock and found she had 7 minutes until school started. It was a ten minute walk to school.

Her bike was still getting fixed, so the only option left was to…run.

She was going to savagely murder her brother.

Yanking open the door, she rushed out and sprinted to school. Man, was she going to absolutely kill her brother. Running as fast as she could, she could feel her heart pounding against her chest and her legs and lungs were burning. She hadn't run this fast since that day.

Finally, she reached the school and darted into the classroom at the last minute, right before the teacher came in. Everyone looked at her with surprise, the girl who always slept in school came _running_ into class. Eri slid into her seat and breathed heavily. This feeling of exhaustion, she hated it.

"You ok?" A voice interrupted her thoughts and she glanced at the person next to her.

A girl with beautiful ocean blue eyes and short coppery hair that fell onto her shoulder. She didn't look that tall, maybe 159 or 160 cm. She also wore thin black glasses. She had a soft smile on her face but Eri didn't think she'd peg her as the shy quiet type. Rather, Eri sensed a hidden determination and fierceness in the girl. She seemed pretty nice too.

Eri nodded then promptly fell asleep, already knowing all about English compound sentences.

It was quite a refreshing nap since she had to run 7 minutes straight to get to on time.

When she woke up, it was the period before lunch. She didn't exactly mean to miss History or Literature, which were her favorite subjects. Oh well, she could catch up easily by asking the teachers a simple question.

Currently though it was math, and she actually should try to take notes for this class. Just enough to pass. Then back to her nap.

* * *

Kunimi glanced to his left and was amused to see Ichijo sleeping again.

Although now Takara had her eyes on Ichijo, that made things more interesting. Also, he couldn't see the resemblance between her and Mizoguchi at all. Kunimi twitched and shuddered just slightly, remembering how Mizoguchi kept yelling at him to work harder. Kunimi wasn't one to work unless he got something out of it.

Sure, he enjoyed volleyball, and liked playing it with Kindaichi. He also highly respected his seniors and senpais in the club, such as Oikawa and Iwaizumi. And he did kind of want to beat Kageyama the King, which is probably the only reason he was glad Oikawa wanted that practice game with Karasuno, to crush the King of the Court.

Revenge would be sweet.

He probably sound petty but honestly Kageyama really irritated him back in Junior High.

He sighed, getting back to focusing on the History lecture Awashita-sensei was giving them. Something about how the Soviet Union was trying to invade Finland during the early stages of World War Two or something. He really did suck at History.

* * *

When lunch period began, Kindaichi returned to her classroom, and he spotted her as well.

"Oh! You're the girl from yesterday!" He exclaimed, sitting down next to Kunimi.

Eri raised an eyebrow. "May I help you?"

Something about her demeanor saying 'go away I don't want to talk to you' made Kindaichi rethink his actions and he returned to eating his lunch with Kunimi, the former talking in hushed voices.

Eri sighed. How troublesome.

"Um, you're Ichijo-san, right?" The girl from earlier asked Eri, making her turn her attention to her classmate.

"Yes, Ichijo Eri." Eri answered politely.

This was just another classmate, no one meaningful in her life.

"I'm Oikawa Takara!" The girl said cheerfully.

Eri blinked, Oikawa-san's younger sister? Well this was a surprise.

"Yeah, Tooru's my older brother." Takara sighed. "I love him and all, but sometimes he can be just plain annoying!" She glanced back at Eri. "Sorry, didn't mean to go off like that."

Eri nodded nonchalantly. "It's fine."

Takara laughed it off. "Oh good. By the way, thanks for dissing my brother yesterday. He's a total flirt so sometimes it's good if a person doesn't give him the expectation he wants. Also he keeps bothering me about being the manager for the volleyball team and I'm like 'no'. Can't he understand that?"

Eri nodded slowly, munching on her yummy bento her mother made for her. "I see. Glad to know I made you happy."

Takara smiled brightly. "Ne, can I call you Eri-chan?"

Eri's heart stopped. That was too familiar to her. Much too familiar. To be called that by a non-family member (Himiko didn't count) would imply that they were friends. Eri didn't know about that. She didn't have friends. Never did, never have, never will.

 _Except her…._ whispered a tiny part in the back of her mind.

Eri shook that thought. No, she had never had friends. And it would stay like that.

"I'd prefer if you didn't," Eri responded calmly.

Yet Takara heard it. The tiny amount of bitterness and anger in her voice. It was practically undetectable, but Takara had heard it.

She smiled kindly. "I'm sorry I asked, I'll call you Ichi-chan instead!"

Eri's breath hitched, was her bitterness that noticeable? If so, secrets could be revealed much faster than she wanted them too. But…Takara was nice, and seemed friendly. Plus she respected her wishes and was the one to approach her…..

"Eh, you can call me Eri-chan if you wish." Eri answered.

Takara lit up like fireworks during the New Year celebrations. "Really? Thanks friend!" Takara instantly hugged Eri, who stiffened because she hates hugs, and beamed happily. "Oh this makes me so happy! I don't have many friends, and the few friends I do have live in Tokyo or attend other schools."

Eri's eyes widened just a little. Sounds like herself except she didn't have any friends from other schools or Tokyo.

"Then I'm honored to be consider a friend of yours, Oikawa-chan." Eri said politely.

Takara rolled her eyes. "Please, call me Takara. Also you should smile more, I haven't seen smile ever since school started. You always have that bored, sleepy look on your face."

Eri raised an eyebrow. "I don't smile, Taka-chan."

Takara beamed with delight. "So what things do you like? I love soda candies, bubble tea, by the way, that stuff is really good, and I like reading."

Eri pursed her lips slightly. "I guess I like drawing manga, reading manga, watching anime, listening to music and peppermint chocolate."

"And sleeping." Takara grinned.

"And sleeping." Eri added.

Takara glanced at Eri curiously. "Y'know, for such a lazy person, you sure do like a lot of hobbies."

"If you notice, none of those activities are physical and I don't do all those things at once." Eri reminded Takara.

"….That's true."

* * *

 _Your brother and Toyosaki will be in club late every night now for some reason,_

 _and your parents are working late tonight._

 _They don't want you walking home alone anymore so they want you to sit in_

 _during the volleyball practice until it's over and I will drive you home_.

 _-Sada-kun_

Well…..

Eri groaned, their volleyball practices could take hours. She didn't want to sit through them! Though she wouldn't disobey her parents, she would have to modify things and bring some of her art supplies to the practice now.

Since school was over and everyone was heading for their clubs, Eri supposed she'd better as well. As an unofficial club member. Takara had to run some errands after school so she was out and busy, but Takara somehow stole Eri's number so now Takara could text her whenever she wanted.

Again, by the time she reached the club, she could hear them hard at work.

She sighed already in exasperation, knowing the reactions she'd get. Oh well, she'd just have to ignore them.

Pushing the door open, she called out in a clear, twinkling, feminine voice (note: that's what others thought, not her. She thought she was speaking normally). "Sada-kun, where do you want me to sit?"

Again, all heads turned towards her, she got looks of annoyance, surprise, and mostly, confusion.

Mizoguchi shrugged. "Wherever you want."

So Eri plopped herself onto the bench right next to Irihata.

The elder man smiled warmly and let her peacefully sit. He had to admit, in all of his years of knowing her, he didn't know she was such a talented artist.

Currently Eri was working on a random anime character, _Edogawa_ , she liked from _Bungou Stray Dogs_. His cheerful expression was probably the hardest to work on. She sketched diligently, vaguely hearing boys shout and balls smack onto the ground hard.

She felt several pairs of eyes linger onto her for a second before they adverted away. Creepy.

She didn't mind this actually, just sitting here drawing to her heart's content. A while passed with her just drawing and sitting in during the volleyball practice. She was almost done with _Edogawa's_ hat when she heard a loud shout.

"OI! LOOK OUT!"

Her head snapped up, and that was her mistake.

She was instantly hit in the face and head by a speeding volleyball.

The force was so great, she actually toppled off the bench backwards onto the ground, clutching her face in pain. And she hit her head hard on the ground when she fell, so that was an added injury.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Was the general yell from most of the team and coaches.

Eri's entire face stung like she had been stung by a million bees and her head was pounding.

She heard a lot of footsteps run up hurriedly to her and several extremely concerned faces in her own face. Although everything was really blurry so she couldn't see a thing clearly. But she could clearly recognize the voices. Ok, maybe not clearly recognize the voices.

"Hey, Ichijo, are you ok?" That one was Iwaizumi.

"Obviously not dumbass!" Hanamaki.

"OHMYGOSHISSHEBLEEDING!?" She definitely recognized Oikawa's shrill voice.

"Quick, get a towel or something!" Yahaba.

"She's gonna die!" That one was Kindaichi's panicked squeal.

"No, she won't die idiot, and she's not bleeding." Kunimi…?

"Should we help her up?" Matsukawa.

"Probably." Watari.

"No wait, we need to make sure she doesn't have a concussion," Iwaizumi again.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Oikawa frantically yelped.

"Dumbass! That's not how you check for a concussion!" Iwaizumi shouted angrily.

"MOVE OVER!" That was, for certain, Sadayuki's panicked voice. "Ohmygosh Aunt Tatsu is going to kill, and Uncle Ryuu, and Mom, and Dad, and Yama-kun, and Himi-chan, and that weird cousin from Uncle Ryuu's side of the family…Ichijo Raku was it? Oh right, Eri, where are we?"

"Sada-kun, please don't speak so loud," Eri winced, his voice really loud to her.

"Kunimi, please help her sit up," Sadayuki asked one of the players. Although it was more like ordered.

Kunimi was the boy from her class, right? She felt him lift her up to a sitting position and she blinked dizzily. Also, her stomach was turning and she felt like throwing.

"Eri-chan. How do you feel, name everything that's wrong." Irihata asked worriedly.

Eri blinked again. "Um, my head really hurts, and all of you are really blurry, I'm kind of dizzy and I feel like I might throw up."

"Good Job Oikawa for sending that serve directly into her face." Hanamaki hissed dryly.

"HEY!" Oikawa's noise of protest was amusing.

"Oh damn," Sadayuki cursed. "That's definitely a concussion. You're going to have to go the infirmary."

Eri stood up suddenly to go but forgot she had a concussion and swayed on the spot. Luckily, someone caught her before she collapsed to the ground, and gently set her to the ground, again in a sitting position.

A snort came from…Yahaba? "Good catch Kunimi."

Kunimi, was it? She'd have to thank him later. Also her vision was still really blurry, and her head was still pounding and dizzy, but she didn't think she'd throw up now. She just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again.

"You're in no condition to walk by yourself, Eri-chan." Irihata sighed in concern. "Kunimi, please take her to the infirmary, and be extremely careful and make sure she doesn't fall asleep. Oh and stay with her there to make sure she's ok."

She heard a sigh from said boy. "Why me…?" But she felt a hand under her knees and back and was lifted into the air. Wow, was this was it's like to be tall?

"Also Oikawa, laps around the school until you collapse." Irihata and Mizoguchi said in unison, and Iwaizumi cackled insanely in the background.

"WHAT?!" Oikawa shrieked in a really high pitched tone.

Eri hissed in pain, her head and ears ringing and she presses her hands to the sides of her head, attempting to make the throbbing stop. Unfortunately, it didn't help in the slightest.

"Senpai, don't yell that like, it makes her head hurt," Kunimi's lazy and bored voice drawled but Eri detected the tiniest sliver of concern.

"Just go take her already Kunimi," Watari sighed.

Eri wanted to go to sleep but Mizoguchi pinched her arm painfully.

"Don't go to sleep and die in a coma," he ordered.

Eri nodded but regretted it when her head exploded into bits of pain. She felt Kunimi walking away, the voices of her cousin and his team echoing faintly and painfully in the background. Through her still very blurry vision, she saw several people pass by but their faces were indecipherable. She felt her head drooping and her head leaned comfortably against Kunimi's shoulder. His entire body seemed to stiffen for a moment before he actually said something.

"Don't fall asleep on me now, or you fall into a coma and never wake up again," Kunimi calmly stated.

"I wouldn't mind that," Eri muttered lowly.

She heard Kunimi sigh. "Just don't fall asleep."

Eri couldn't really promise him anything but somehow she managed to keep her eyes open until they reached the nurse.

"Oh my, what happened?" The nurse gasped in shock. "Here put her over here and dim those lights!"

She felt Kunimi gently lay her down onto one of the infirmary's beds and the lights dimmed.

"Oikawa-senpai hit her in the head doing a serve." Kunimi's nonchalant voice responded.

To her, he sounded like he just wanted to go home and sleep. Which is also what she wanted to do as well. But knew she shouldn't.

"Oh that stupid boy," the nurse sighed, quite vexed. "You can go, I'll take it from here. Thank you for bringing her to me."

"I'm supposed to stay with her until she's released." Kunimi replied, sounding sleepy.

The nurse shrugged, and then proceeded to check Eri to see how bad her concussion was while Kunimi sat in the corner. Eri felt kind of bad since it was her fault he was stuck here. And Irihata's fault. After running several tests on Eri, the nurse wrote down some things on paper, probably writing down this medical case.

Thankfully, her headache had reduced some and her vision was becoming clearer.

"Well, it looks like a very minor concussion, no looking at electronics for a day and no writing and drawing for a day as well." The nurse ordered. "Come back to me in tomorrow afternoon to see how you're doing. You'll be ok to go to sleep in about an hour. You can go now."

Eri's heart sank, there went drawing for a while. She tentatively hopped off the infirmary's bed and carefully started walking back to the gymnasium. She heard Kunimi get up as well and walk behind her.

Eri couldn't believe how stupid she was not to notice the ball in the first place. Plus she made them stop their practice because of her, and hindered Kunimi from practicing. She was a hindrance and burden, and that's all she would ever be.

"Are you ok?" Kunimi inquired lazily.

"Yes, thank you for staying with me." Eri turned and bowed lightly.

Kunimi looked slightly uncomfortable from her actions but like her, didn't let his emotions show much. "Just doing what I was ordered."

Of course.

When they reached the gym, Eri was pounced upon by many of club members, with them frantically asking questions on her wellbeing. Too bad for her it only made her headache return. Kunimi seemed to notice her light distress and pulled her to the bench and made her sit down. She was grateful for that. She continued to watch the practice since she couldn't draw, and couldn't help but notice the third year setter wasn't around at that current moment.

What a day she was having.

Who knew it would be so crazy and painful, she certainly didn't.

* * *

 **So chapter two is finally complete, and now my brain and eyes and fingers are dead. I think I'll pull an Eri and go snooze for a while. I hope no one seemed to OOC or Eri was a Mary sue. Thanks all and again, many thanks to Jungkookies for telling me how to insert line breaks!**


	3. Her Decision is Made

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **Thank you Jungkookies, for your suggestions. I promise I'll be expanding on the different members of Aoba Johsai soon, it's just she doesn't know them well, so she doesn't know their personalities. Once she interacts with them more, then the diverse personalities will start rolling. Also that's a really funny idea for her family. Eri's family is really complicated, on both sides. Mostly her father's side. Lie, both sides are incredibly complicated.**

 **Also thank you Lady Sandra, for reviewing!**

* * *

The moment practice ended and cleanup wrapped up, Eri stared at her cousin expectantly.

Sadayuki smiled. "You haven't forgotten about that ramen promise, have you?"

Eri shook her head no carefully. "It's a food promise, most certainly not."

Mizoguchi smirked. "Let's go then."

Eri stood up and followed her cousin out the door.

"Irihata-san! I'm leaving the rest to you!" Mizoguchi called out, grabbing his keys.

Irihata nodded. "Please get better soon Eri-chan."

Eri gave her own nod in reply. "Ok."

Not forgetting her manners, Eri turned and called out to Kunimi. After all, her parents raised her to be the politest you can be. "Thank you for everything."

Kunimi shrugged. "Whatever."

Eri remained passive and trailed after her uncle like a loyal puppy. For he owed her delicious ramen.

The ramen was extremely detectable and the drive home was warm and made her sleepy. However, she didn't want to fall asleep until she reached home, just to be safe.

Mizoguchi dropped her off in front of her house. "Take care of that concussion, ok? I've already told your parents. If you need anything extra, just ask Takeko"

Eri nodded lightly. "Thank you for everything."

Sadayuki furrowed his eyebrows. "As if I'd let you walk home alone. See you tomorrow."

As he drove away from her house, Eri rewound the day in her brain, and didn't think she'd like to have another day it anytime soon. Especially with the concussion. She sighed, her parents and brother would fuss over her and she hated attention…..so much.

She walked inside, preparing for the storm.

"OHMYGOODNESS ERI ARE YOU OK?" Tatsu flew into Eri's vision, frantically inspecting Eri's entire body for any other damages.

"Mom, I was thoroughly inspected by the nurse and she cleared me as fine," Eri replied, already knowing the chaos about to erupt.

"ERI ARE YOU ALIVE?" Ryuu sped into view, a face full of panic and worry.

Eri's eye twitched, her parents were acting like five year olds. "It's clear I'm not dead because I'm standing right in front of you."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow at her statement, and she instantly regretted it.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me," she ushered a quick apology.

Ryuu poked her forehead pretty hard, and a small stab of light pain rippled through her head. It was clear her discomfort was visible on her face because her father crowed in triumph.

"Your head still hurts, time to lie down!"

He steered her into the living room, making her lie down on the couch.

For the next hour, Eri's parents wouldn't let get up or do anything besides lie down and rest. They also constantly babied her. Although she hated the fussing, she supposed it was better than having parents who barely talked to you. When Yama and Himiko returned, Yama also contributed into helping his parents baby his precious little sister.

Finally, with the help of Himiko, Eri was able to persuade her parents to let her go.

A thousand thanks to Himiko.

After she retreated to the safety of her bedroom, Eri glanced mournfully at her sketchpad and pencils. Goodbye drawing for a while. Sighing, remembered she had to feed the cats, for she heard them meowing pitifully outside her room, scratching against the door. She opened the door and found her ankles assaulted with cat paws begging for food.

Honestly, sometimes her cats acted like they never got feed. Which was totally untrue since she probably feed them more than she should, but YOLO applies to cats too. The dogs came running too when they smelled the food. She deadpanned, her pets and their bottomless pits for stomachs….

After feeding her pets, she once again tried to escape to her room for bed, but her brother caught her right before she made it to safety.

"Eri, answer me truthfully." Yama said, more seriousness in his eyes than usual. "Are you okay?

"Yes Yama-nii." Eri didn't understand why he was asking her this. It was just a small head injury.

Giving her a skeptical glance, Yama sent her a short nod then head back downstairs.

Eri was wary, not sure why he asked her that. No use dwelling in it if she didn't understand it. Eri dashed into her room before anyone else could snag her up. And sighed in happiness once her body was nestled in the blankets and she was content and at peace.

She wasn't waking up even if the world was having the apocalypse itself.

* * *

"ERI-CHAN WAKEEEEEEEEEEEE UP!"

"Kyahhhhhhhhh!" Eri screamed as she awoke, jolting out of bed from being startled and hit the ground.

She snapped up and glared fiercely at her brother, who was grinning mainaclly from on top of her bed.

"You ruined my sleep!" She hissed angrily. "What time is it?" She whipped her head to the clock, her eyes widening at the time. "It's still 5:47 am! Are you insane?"

Yama shrugged. "Himiko and I will be leaving earlier than you usually do, making you walk alone to and from school. So Sadayuki will be picking you up for his volleyball morning practice as well."

Eri hissed a curse under her breath. "How long until he will get here?"

"15 minutes."

Eri grunted in displeasure but she could work with it. "Perfect, wake me up in 14 minutes." She darted up to her bed and snuggled into her covers deeply.

"What-no!" Yama yelped, but Eri was already snoring away.

"What a baka…."

True enough, in 14 minutes, Yama shoved her out of her bed, and she glared at him….again. Then she rushed downstairs to grab her school bag and figured she could eat breakfast on the way to school. She pouted all the way to school, although Sadayuki never knew that since her face was yet again neutral as ever. She just sat there eating quietly.

When the school buildings came into view, she mentally groaned. She better not get hit in the face again. Barely anyone was there, except for Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Oikawa sitting on benches near the gymnasium doors. She narrowed her eyes very slightly at the setter, still remembering how he was the one who give her that troublesome concussion and annoying red mark on her forehead and cheeks. She still couldn't read or draw because of him.

Mizoguchi parked and they walked to the gym, Eri trailing along. At least she could sleep or listen to music here. Probably sleep.

Maybe even play.

She rethought that.

Nah, never mind.

As they walked closer to the gym, Eri caught wind of how it was Oikawa's fault that he forgot the key to the gymnasium. Figures.

Oikawa caught sight of her and hid behind Iwaizumi.

"Ne, the girl I hit yesterday is here again!" He whispered not so quietly to Iwaizumi.

Eri raised an eyebrow, no matter what Oikawa thought, his antics were not amusing. (Personally I find them hilarious, but this is Eri talking)

Iwaizumi shoved Oikawa forward, who yelped in both fear and surprise. "Go apologize then Trashykawa."

"Yeah, it's not nice to hit a girl in the face with a volleyball," Hanamaki added with a smirk.

"Almost shameful," Matsukawa concluded teasingly. "Though I don't blame you for being scared, she is pretty scary looking."

"SEE!" Oikawa squeaked in defense.

Eri was becoming quite irritated at her four senpais in front of her. She didn't think she looked scary, and they were being irrational. She hated the way they said hitting a girl was shameful. Well yes it was, but hitting anyone by accident or on purpose was bad. They made girls sound weak, but Eri knew that girls and guys each had their own strengths and weaknesses. And girls were certainly were not weak.

Iwaizumi, the only one she wasn't aggravated at, noticed the slowly darkening aura around her.

"Oi, oi, don't get too mad," he warned her. But with a growing smirk, he added, "Except with Oikawa, do what you like with him."

Eri nodded with understanding then gave the other three third years an opaque stare. She stared obliquely, mysteriously, but with a million cold emotions running through her eyes. The third years besides Iwaizumi shuddered at the look in her eyes. While her eyes were sleepy looking and bored, through the green and blue they saw coldness and they felt fear.

"So you consider girls as weak or shameful?" Eri asked lowly.

Matsukawa, the one she was targeting with that statement, stiffened at her sleepy voice yet hidden in there was coldness.

"N-no, I didn't say that," Matsukawa tried to defend himself.

"You said hitting girls was almost shameful, which is a flawed statement right there, and that implies that you think of girls as either below you or weak, or bad for the guy, which is still sexist." Eri coolly countered.

Matsukawa squirmed uncomfortably under her steely gaze. "Well…..yes…..I guess I was wrong there."

Eri mentally was surprised. He confessed that much faster than she thought he would. Hanamaki was okay, but the part about hitting a girl with a volleyball made her skin crawl. It still wasn't nice at all to hit anyone in the face. She just sent Oikawa and Hanamaki a cold and deadly glance and seeing them almost wither and melt in fear and guilt, she felt she had punished them enough.

She still wanted an apology. She could ask Iwaizumi to force one out of his captain for her later.

"Don't assume girls are innocent and harmless just because it's a girl. It could lead you into…..very unfortunate circumstances…." Eri finished, walking away from her senpais and followed her cousin into the now open gym. "Also, Oikawa, don't meddle with people's lives because of a personal grudge." She called out.

* * *

A moment of silence between all four third years.

"Anyone else get the impression she's not one to make mad?" Hanamaki asked weakly.

"I second that statement." Iwaizumi muttered. "She wasn't mad at me, but I could feel the coldness in her voice."

"Ehhhh? But a girl shouldn't be that cold or lazy all the time! We have to make sure she smiles at least once today!" Oikawa declared dramatically.

Iwaizumi's eye twitched in exasperation at his Captain. "Didn't you hear what she just said to you about meddling?! And the rest of her speech as well?"

Oikawa waved that off carelessly. "What could go wrong?"

Matsukawa sweat dropped. Usually whenever someone says that, something bad happens.

"Let's get to morning practice, the second and first years will be here soon and we've wasted enough time sitting here already." Iwaizumi ordered, rising from the bench.

Hanamaki sighed, getting up as well. "Yeah, let's hope Ichijo continues to bash on Oikawa."

"She bashed on Matsukawa too!" Oikawa protested.

Matsukawa rolled his own eyes. "Hardly a defense."

"Get your lazy ass up Crappkawa," Iwaizumi scolded, scowling at his captain. He couldn't help but love his best friend though.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa sang in that charming playboy voice of his. "You're too serious! You'll never attract any girls that way!"

An irk mark appeared on Iwaizumi's forehead.

The second and first years arrived for practice while coming across the scene of Matsukawa and Hanamaki holding back an extremely pissed off Iwaizumi from devouring a cowering Oikawa, who was hiding behind the bench.

"What do you think happened?" Kindaichi asked to a sleepy Kunimi.

"Oikawa-senpai probably irked Iwaizumi-senpai somehow." Kunimi replied, the answer was pretty easy.

Just then, a familiar mop of ebony hair popped from inside the gym.

"Sadayuki says if you don't get yourselves inside now, talking particularly to the third years, you'll all have to run for the entire time," Ichijo announced in a clear, smooth voice.

Kunimi couldn't help but note how bright and vibrant her eyes sparkled.

Hanamaki shrieked in terror and bolted inside the gym, his club-mates following swiftly. Kunimi thought to himself and only to himself that he wouldn't mind at all if Ichijo stuck around. After all, all men could use a women's soft touch. And while Kunimi knew Ichijo probably didn't see herself as a graceful flower, he saw her as an elegant rose. One to guard and tend to.

* * *

Eri once again sat by Irihata, watching the club members practice blocking. While she couldn't actually play the sport (she really sucked at volleyball), she had grown up around the sport long enough to see a problem that needed to be fixed. Plus, three of her family members were coaches so she had gone to enough games and practices to watch them coach to know how to coach, sort of.

Irihata saw the analyzing gleam in her eyes and knew she had spotted the problem with Kindaichi's blocking. He chuckled softly, gesturing for her to take the wheel. He wanted to see her in action. Eri gave her elder a short, thankful nod.

"Kindaichi-san." Eri called out suddenly, the boy in question glanced at her curiously.

"You're jumping too early on your block, which means you're going down as the spiker is hitting the ball," Eri elaborated to the confused boy. "Jump just a bit later."

Kindaichi glanced uncertainly for just a second at Irihata, who nodded in agreement.

Eri tsked lightly, she knew that if she was going to be staying here, she would have to earn her respect. And she would do just that.

"Just try it," she insisted.

On Kindaichi's next turn to block, he followed her advice and was able to block Iwaizumi successfully.

"There we go," Eri whispered in triumph. Back to her nap.

Kindaichi turned to thank her, but found Eri was already sleeping on the bench.

Irihata was impressed with her sharp observation skills, while she may be lazy, he figured she was also sharp and attentive. Good attributes.

Seijoh's head coach waved Mizoguchi over, making the younger man run over to his superior.

"Mizoguchi, where did Eri learn her coaching skills?" Irihata questioned. "She's very good, just by noticing that tiny detail."

"Eh, let's see," Mizoguchi mused for a moment. "Probably from our aunt and uncle, who are both long time coaches. Still coach to this day too."

Irihata was surprised at this news, they shared an aunt and uncle? "I thought Eri-chan was your second cousin."

Mizoguchi shook his head no. "Her mom and my mom are sisters. It's just that Eri's mom had her and her brother really late. Which means one of our uncles has grandkids that are near Eri's age."

Irihata chuckled amusedly to himself, how strange.

"Kunimi! I've told you to pick up your feet more when reaching for the ball to receive!" Mizoguchi yelled out suddenly, running over to the receiving practice.

Irihata schemed what he could use Eri for, if she helped coach their team, they might have a chance of overthrowing the Swans of Sendai. Just maybe. That is, if Eri could stay awake long enough to actually analyze and correct the players.

When morning practice ended, Kindaichi and Kunimi were assigned the task to wake Eri up.

Kunimi didn't like it how Mizoguchi gave them a half sympathetic, half smirk look. "Good luck," he had said before walking out of the gym.

Now, while staring down at the sleeping girl, Kunimi felt slightly worried about what would happen to them if they awoke the sleeping dragon.

"Do you think we should just carry her to your classroom?" Kindaichi suggested.

"No, that would just start rumors and look weird." Kunimi sleepily shut down that idea.

He sighed, bending down to tap her on the shoulder. "Ichijo-san, it's time to get to class."

Kunimi and Kindaichi feared for the worse. But all Ichijo did was blink sleepily, slid off the bench and made her way to the main school building.

"Thanks," was all she said before she left. "I'll continue my nap in class."

The two volleyball members watched her leave.

"Does she always sleep in class like that?" Kindaichi inquired in bewilderment.

"Yes. I don't know how she passes and has some of the highest grades in the class." Kunimi answered truthfully before making his way to his class as well.

Eri had planned on napping the moment she hit her desk, but Takara interrupted her nap.

"Since I know my brother hasn't apologized yet, I'm very sorry that he hit you in the face with a volleyball," Takara ushered out of her mouth extremely quickly.

Eri tilted her head slightly. "Don't mind it."

Then she fell asleep.

Takara wondered if it was healthy for someone to sleep so much.

During lunch, Takara approached her again. And placed a package of melon candies on Eri's desk.

Eri's mouth watered seeing her favorite candy on her desk. "Is this for me?"

Takara nodded. "As compensation."

Eri raised her head, meeting Takara's eyes. "You shouldn't have to be the one who cleans up your brother's mess."

Takara sighed. "Yeah, I know. But you're my friend." She smiled at Eri. "I should be able to give you things, right?"

Eri now genuinely believed Takara to be a kind and fierce soul.

She wasn't good at this type of thing, but Eri knew in friendships, it only worked if both people were willing to reach out.

"After school, want to get some bubble tea?" Eri asked, knowing Takara loved that stuff, just as Takara knew Eri loved melon candies.

Takara's eyes lit up in delight. "Ooh, yes!"

For the first time in a while, Eri was looking forward to after school activities besides sleeping. She also quickly texted her parents' permission.

When school ended, she and Takara headed out of the school, with Eri leading.

"I have to tell my cousin I'm not going to be sitting in his volleyball practice today or else he'll freak out," Eri explained politely. "My parents are okay with this too."

Takara nodded in understanding. "Who's your cousin?"

"Mizoguchi Sadayuki."

Takara giggled. "I'm the sister to the captain and you're the cousin of the assistant coach. It's like fate wanted us to be friends."

Eri contemplated that for a moment, before agreeing with Takara. "I guess so."

She opened the gymnasium doors, hearing Iwaizumi leading the team in warm ups.

"Sada-kun! Taka-chan and I are going together to get bubble tea, Mom and Dad are okay with it."

Mizoguchi nodded in both confirmation and delight.

"You have a new friend!" Mizoguchi trilled in glee. "You haven't a friend since-" He abruptly stopped talking, seeing Eri glaring at him with her coldest, deadliest, and fiercest glare she could muster.

Irihata, Takara, and the volleyball club shivered under Eri's dangerous gaze, even if they weren't the ones receiving it.

"Mizoguchi Sadayuki." Eri whispered darkly. "Shut up."

Mizoguchi nodded meekly then retreated to Irihata's protection.

It was then Oikawa noticed who exactly 'Taka-chan' was, and his face shone with cheer.

"Taka-nee!" He chirped charmingly.

Takara twitched.

"You know Onii-chan, you still haven't apologized to Eri-chan yet," Takara brutally reminded her flaky brother.

Oikawa withered after glancing at Eri, whose face had returned to its normal, sleepy, neutral look.

"Ichijo-san…." Oikawa began hesitantly. "…I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Takara prompted her brother, giving him the disapproving mum stare.

"Sorry for hitting you in the face with a volleyball and giving you a concussion," Oikawa mumbled.

Iwaizumi threw a volleyball at Oikawa's head, who yelped.

"Baka, is it that hard to say sorry?" Iwaizumi asked his captain.

"Sometimes!"

Takara steered Eri out of the gym, about to lose her mind if she had to deal with them anymore.

"And this is why I don't want to be their manager," Takara sighed while walking on their way to a small café she knew.

Eri nodded with understanding, she certainly wouldn't want to babysit a bunch of teenage boys. Chaos it would be, chaos.

"So…now that we're on our way, what type of music do you like?" Takara asked. "I know you said you liked music."

Eri thought on that for a moment, she liked many types of music. "I like K, J, and C pop mostly. There's this American rock band called Skillet I really like. Also, I like those Celtic and Irish lullabies, those really soft, angelical sounding ones. "

Takara laughed, her laugh like the soft call of the owl. "Ooh I like Skillet too, what a surprise! Since I'm fluent in English, I got into this European song contest called Eurovision. I actually went to one a few years ago when I was competing in the same city as it was held in."

That last comment perked Eri's interest. "What sport do you compete?"

"Ice Skating." Takara excitedly said. "Last year, I was the gold medalist of the Grand Prix and the World Championships!"

Eri was astounded. "That's pretty young. You must be really good."

Takara grinned. "I guess you could say that."

Takara knew the best café for bubble tea, and the best route to get there from the school. Eri guessed Takara was a very regular customer here, for all the workers chimed together to say hi, and one of the workers said that Takara's usual spot was open. Takara immediately led Eri to the spot in the back corner.

Ordering a manga bubble tea, Takara waited to Eri to order hers.

"Hmm….I'll take a strawberry-pineapple bubble tea please," Eri said, browsing through her choices.

Once their bubble teas were ready, Takara sipped it with delight and almost shriveled up in happiness.

"Ooh, so good! So yummy, so appealing to the taste buds!" Takara sighed happily.

Eri could only watch her friend and hope she gained sanity soon.

The two girls chatted (Takara did most of the talking) for a while before Takara said she had to go.

"Thanks for inviting me!" Takara called out while walking home.

Eri headed back to the school, and once she entered, she found Mizoguchi yelling at the team while the team themselves were doing diving drills. Eri hated watching diving drills because they made her chest hurt even if she wasn't the one doing the drills. She glanced the clock, about 30 more minutes until the practice was over. Good time for a nap.

She headed over to the bench, ready to snooze until Mizoguchi grabbed her arm and pulled her over towards to where Kindaichi was working on spiking.

"Since you helped him improve his blocking, I want you to help him learn how to jump as high as he can for spiking." Mizoguchi requested, shoving his cousin forward.

Eri was annoyed. She didn't want to do anything else but sleep. But she did noticed how Kindaichi could probably jump just a bit higher in his spike. Mizoguchi compelled her to help Kindaichi, pushing her forward

Eri rolled her eyes, but turned her attention onto Kindaichi.

"Push through your toes more when you take off." Eri said simply before going back to the bench to nap.

Both Kindaichi and Mizoguchi seemed confused by her advice

"You're supposed to actually help him," Mizoguchi forcibly reminded Eri.

Eri sat down on the bench and looked at her cousin. "I did. I told him what he needs to do. If he follows that advice, he should be able to learn how to jump higher." Eri's eyes gleamed with an uncanny sharpness. "If he can jump higher than the blockers, he'll be very formidable by the time the Inter-High rolls around. All he needs is that little push I've given him."

Eri yawned. "Good night, wake me up when it's time to leave."

And the players instantly watched her plop her head onto her makeshift pillow and fall asleep. Was it possible to fall asleep that fast?

But right before Eri fell asleep, she decided she would talk to Irihata later.

And gather information on this year's biggest rivals in the Miyagi Prefecture.

Dateko High. Wakutani Minami High. Shiratorizawa Academy. Johzenji High.

And from she heard from one of her associates, Karasuno High might be a dark horse this year.

The moment her brain shut off, she knew what she had to do this year.

This year would be different.

She would make sure of it.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Yes bubble tea is a real thing, it's quite popular in China. I've never had it myself but my Chinese Sensei says it's really good. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Going to Sendai

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **Jungkookies: OMG I'M SO SORRY THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT! It's a disgrace to my favorite writing teacher if I don't show, and tell instead! I'll do my best to work on that. Also, for Takara being an ice skater is a tribute to Yuri on Ice. Not sure if I'll actually put any canon characters from Yuri in Ice since this isn't a crossover fic, but we'll see. And if you want to go work somewhere, go for it! Worst thing that could happen is that you don't get hired, but as long as you try your best, it'll be ok!**

 **Sector7: She was basically saying it's not okay to treat anyone differently because of gender. Everyone is human, whether you're male or female. I guess that's kind of still sounds like fighting for gender equality, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't matter what gender you are, you need to treat everyone kindly (to some degree).**

 **Lady Syndra: I've heard bubble tea is really good, but I don't know where to get it. Also, I've always wanted to visit New Zealand, since my aunt lives there. My Aunt lives in the top part of the North Island, near the Bay of Islands.**

 **Thanks to all of those who reviewed but I didn't mention, I'm just too lazy, like Eri.**

* * *

As the days passed, Eri had a pretty normal schedule. Sit in club, nap, Go to school, nap, sit in club, nap, go home, and sleep. That was it.

Or so the volleyball club thought.

They did notice she was yawning more than usual, and she wasn't sleeping as much. This mostly freaked out the coaches, but only Takara seemed to know what Eri was doing, and why she wasn't sleeping as much.

In class one day, Eri was actually not sleeping for once and taking notes. Well, she was only taking the really important notes, just the ones to pass, and then she fell asleep again. Kunimi was concerned.

During club, she had her earbuds plugged into her mini laptop and was busily listening and watching to something while hastily writing something down.

"What do you think she's doing?" Kindaichi whispered very unsubtly.

Kunimi shrugged. "Ichijo-san must be dedicated to something, because she's not sleeping as much in class. She's been researching something, it's definitely not school notes she's been taking."

Yahaba smiled creepily. "We should find out!"

Kunimi sweat dropped and yawned. "We shouldn't press our boundaries."

Kindaichi just fidgeted and his eyes darting around skittishly, a light red blush on his cheeks. Definitely embarrassed.

Oikawa scuttled up next to them with a mischievous smile on his lips. "Like Yahaba said, we should find out!"

Iwaizumi glanced disapprovingly at Oikawa. "Invasion of privacy much?"

Oikawa waved all that off dismissively. "She needs to relax more and smile!"

"She is also really scary!" Hanamaki hissed urgently. "But I wouldn't mind watching Oikawa get beat up verbally by Ichijo-san." He added with a playful smirk.

Kunimi agreed that Ichijo shouldn't be disturbed from whatever she was doing, it was her business after all. "We shouldn't pry into her business. If she wanted us to know, she would have told us."

"But she hasn't ever smiled since we've met her!" Oikawa whined.

"She probably doesn't want to be bothered by a shitty guy like you," Iwaizumi snorted.

"Plus I've heard from Oikawa-chan, not you captain, that she doesn't ever smile,"

"SHE can hear you, by the way," Ichijo spoke up suddenly, staring that the volleyball players eerily.

Oikawa peeped and shuffled towards Iwaizumi for protection. Yahaba squeaked while jolting stiffly, Kindaichi's entire body became rigid in fear of the younger girl.

"STOP IDLING GET BACK TO PRACTICE!" Mizoguchi yelled from the other side of the gym.

All the players jumped and hurried to resume practice, Kunimi especially. For some reason, Mizoguchi yelled at him more than anyone else.

"Kunimi-san," Ichijo said, calm as ever. "Thanks for your support."

Right after that, she shut her computer and started one of her famous naps.

Kunimi looked curiously at the girl sleeping at him, before he ran back to his team, not wanting Mizoguchi to yell at him anymore. Too bad that the assistant coach did. His luck really sucked.

* * *

Eri had heard them talking. Sure, she wasn't that pleased they were being extremely nosy and butting into her business, but she was mostly ignoring them. Except Kunimi. He was….intriguing, to say. Eri could tell he wasn't putting as much work in at practice, opposite of his teammates who were working their butts off. But maybe she could use that to their advantage during games and tournaments. The gleam Oikawa had in his eyes whenever he looked at Kunimi meant that he probably agreed with her.

As much as a flirty wuss he was outside of the court, Eri had to admit he was one of the most skilled players of this year. She would definitely have to mention him. Ushijima was a given as well, Iwaizumi, and perhaps this kid from Wakutani Minami High. Itachiyama Academy's Sakusa Kiyoomi was also promising. None of Date Tech's third years held any promise, and Jozhenji's third years were too wild.

One of the Tokyo Schools, Fukurodani, she heard the Ace there, Bokuto Koutarou was a rising star. And that kid from Nekoma High, Kuroo Tetsurou. Also, she did hear about Oikawa's junior, a supposedly rising genius setter, Kageyama, was it? And then the kids from other prefectures that she hadn't reviewed yet, her uncle really gave her a bunch of work to do this year.

She wished her brother could help, but he wasn't into this stuff. Frankly, neither was she that much, she just wanted to focus on her art skills, she would have to remind herself to bring her sketchbook next time…..

Besides, she would have to wait until nationals to inspect the rest. Except….she was going to Tokyo during summer vacation, maybe there she could do some work. Both the Inter-High and Spring Tournament would help as well.

"Oh, Eri-chan, are you free Tuesday?" Irihata abruptly asked, coming up next to her.

"I should be. Why?" Eri was certain of the reason why however.

"We're having a practice match with Karasuno, I would like for you to come and help," Irihata concluded, confirming her suspicions.

Eri nodded her head placidly. "I will be there."

Irihata smiled politely before walking away to finishing coaching his energetic team.

Which reminded Eri that she needed to get going. But Mizoguchi wouldn't let her go….alone. Maybe she had the luck of manipulating the coaches into letting her steal a player. But who? Takara was busy with ice skating practice today, so she couldn't take her. After a minute of searching the players and scanning, she remembered who she should take.

She sleepily glided next to Mizoguchi, who instantly recognized the look in her eyes.

"What do you want?" Mizoguchi narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his younger cousin.

"I want to go somewhere for research, but it's in Sendai," Eri slapped her request boldly out there.

Mizoguchi stiffened in disbelief. "Sendai? That's so far! You can't possibly go alone!"

Eri nodded, already having predicated her cousin's antics. Also Sendai wasn't that far from where they were now. "That's why I want to take Kunimi along."

Said boy just sneezed and felt the shivers.

Mizoguchi's eyes darted to Kunimi. "Why him?"

Eri stared at her cousin blankly, which freaked him out since now he couldn't read what she was thinking. Which most of the time he couldn't anyway.

"I have my reasons. So?" Eri prompted, wanting to leave already.

Mizoguchi sighed. "Fine." He stressed out. "But you have to be back by the time practice ends, in three and a half hours."

Waffle, those conditions were brutal, but she could work with it. "Done," she echoed, agreeing with the terms.

She turned to Kunimi. "Kunimi-san! You're coming with me to Sendai."

All the players shut up, staring at her with utter shock and confusion.

"What?" Kunimi asked, looking bored and unamused at her request and sudden command.

"Let's go," Eri commanded softly, already grabbing her bag and heading out the door. "And wear regular clothes."

Kunimi hesitated, but with a quick stern glance from both coaches, he rushed to change and sprinted out the door, following Eri. He was able to catch with her as she was exiting the school grounds.

"Um, why did you want me to come along with you?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

Eri halted in her footsteps and gazed at Kunimi opaquely, her eyes never straying from him but her eyes were blank and sleepy. Her eyelids were dipping yet her eyes were as sharp as ever.

"I would have thought you would have liked to get away from practice today. So I provided that opening for you." Eri responded calmly, her gaze as blank as a bare piece of paper.

There was no way Kunimi would ever be able to tell what she was thinking.

* * *

Eventually, they reached the train station and Ichijo quickly purchased two tickets to Sendai, a 15 minute ride from their current location. And the moment Ichijo and Kunimi were seated on the train, not surprisingly, Ichijo promptly fell into a deep slumber. She was curled up onto the seat next to Kunimi, her head facing him.

Kunimi found it slightly awkward but just ignored the majority of it, reminding himself to wake her up shortly. He sighed, she was so very complicated, and one of the most intricate girls he had ever met. He couldn't figure her out at all. She was a mystery, and a lot more interesting than others. She was one to not let much of her emotions show, and she was very observant and analytical. Kunimi was looking forward to this year's Inter-High. He had overheard the coaches discussing how valuable and asset Ichijo was to the team now that she was in high school.

Soon, the train slowed to the Sendai Station, and Kunimi had to poke Ichijo to wake her up. She took her sweet time and Kunimi had to practically drag her off the train in order to get off in time. He almost forgot to grab her bag on the way out.

"Oh. We're here," Ichijo commented casually with a yawn. "Let's go."

Once again, Kunimi was forced to blindly follow her to wherever she wanted to go. This blind faith was making him slightly uneasy.

"Ano, where are we going?" Kunimi inquired, trailing along behind her.

"Shiratorizawa."

Kunimi hated in his tracks and stared at her, his eyes wide (for once) and he was speechless. The Swans were Aoba Johsai's longest time rival, clashing many times and the Swans always taking victory. He knew the third years passionately yearned to crush Shiratorizawa, particularly Ushijima Wakatoshi.

"SHIRATORIZAWA?"

Ichijo tilted her head slightly, her blank eyes skimming over Kunimi's shocked face quickly. Her own face was entirely serious.

"Did I stutter? We're going to Shiratorizawa," Ichijo repeated dully. "That's why I wanted you to wear regular clothes, so the volleyball club wouldn't recognize you as part of Seijoh's team. Let's go."

Ichijo was walking swifter than she usually, and a tad more tense.

By this time, Kunimi had recovered from his shock and was just following his classmate now. He wondered how she had the ability to enter Shiratorizawa and watch the volleyball team practice.

"Oh, and you can call me Eri-san. I think after all this blind trust you've had to put in me, you have the permission to call me by my first name." Ichijo said.

Kunimi was lightly surprised, she didn't seem like the type to let her first name be used by many people. Already the coaches and Oikawa-san called her by her first name, with –chan added, of course. Still, he would cherish that honor.

"We're here," Eri-san announced, her voice as clear as the crystal blue sky itself.

When did he start noticing that?

She entered briskly, although Kunimi had no trouble following since her legs were a lot shorter than his. He recalled that the terrifying Mizoguchi had given Eri-san a time limit, which was probably the reason she was rushing. To be honest, Kunimi was certain all she wanted to do was take a nap. He wondered why she was coming to Shiratorizawa anyway.

Eri-san stopped in front of the gym where Shiratorizawa's volleyball team practiced.

"Let's hope they're not out running," Eri-san muttered under her breath.

The two first years went inside the gym, where Kunimi saw Seijoh's rivals in what it appeared they were finishing their warm ups.

"Washijō Tanji-san," Eri-san called out, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Ehh? Is this another one of Wakatoshi-kun's fangirls?" Crowed a tall boy with spiky red hair and a freaky expression.

"Tendou, she's here on official business. Don't harass her," the assistant coach reprimanded his player.

Official business? What type of business did Eri-san do if she was here for that? Although Kunimi was very curious, he respected her privacy and didn't pry any further.

"Ohh~? Is that so?" Tendou was up now and circling the two first years from Seijoh like a hawk. "And what about the boy? I don't think he's anyone important~ Hmm?"

Kunimi was a bit offended but like Eri, his expression stayed neutral.

A boy with molten ashen hair came up behind Tendou and whacked him on the head. While Tendou was whining to a boy with thick eyebrows, the boy with the molten ashen hair was apologizing on his teammate's behalf.

"Sorry about Tendou, he can be quite rude," the boy said with a heavy sigh.

"Semi-semi! Why are you being so mean?" Tendou whined pathetically from the floor.

"Moron! Don't call me that!" Semi hissed, an irritated tick mark appearing on his forehead.

Eri-san sighed in response and made her way to the famous demonic coach of Shiratorizawa, Washijō Tanji. She bowed in greeting, and glanced at Kunimi, who quickly followed her example.

"Thank you for letting me come," Eri-san politely said.

Washijo nodded with his arms crossed. "It's an honor for you to even come, Ichijo-sama."

Sama? Kunimi decided to do some research on the Ichijo family name when he arrived home.

"Oh, and who is this?" Washijo's cold calculating eyes skimmed over Kunimi, the latter feeling a wave of chilliness wash over him.

"A friend. My uncle didn't want me to go alone, so he came along," Eri-san intervened hastily, but no one could tell from that except Kunimi.

Washijo nodded in understanding. "I see."

Kunimi thought this old man lived to his name.

Eri-san gestured for Kunimi to sit on the bench next to her, and he watched as she pulled out her blue notebook and flip it open. He was amazed at the mass of notes she had, although he could read some of them since the notes were written in English.

Instead, he watched the team practice, to bring back information for his team.

Living up to his name, Ushijima was definitely a force to reckon with, a powerful spear that could break through some of the thickest walls. As Kunimi watched, he presumed none of Shiratorizawa should be underestimated, at all.

All the while, Eri-san was critically analyzing each and every player, to their strengths and weaknesses.

Kunimi watched her hastily scribble down lots of pieces of information that were yet again, in English. So he couldn't read much of it. He did notice several names, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori, Semi Eita, and Yamagata Hayato.

Interesting.

After maybe an hour of observing the team's practice, Eri-san stood and bowed in appreciation to Washijo, and Kunimi bowed as well, figuring it must be time to leave.

"Thank you for allowing us to sit through your practice," Eri-san said again.

While Eri-san and Kunimi were exiting the school grounds, he was contemplating on if he should ask Eri-san his question or not.

"Kunimi-san, go ahead, it's written all over you face," Eri-san interrupted his thoughts.

Crap, was it that obvious?

"Why did Shiratorizawa's coach call you 'Ichijo-sama'?"

Eri-san was silent for a moment, and Kunimi internally panicked, maybe that was a forbidden question?

"Don't freak out." Eri-san could practically read his mind, creepy. "He calls me that because I'm related to the President of the Japan Volleyball Association, and the head coach of the Men's National Team."

Kunimi blinked in shock, she was practically royalty in the volleyball world. No wonder she could get into other schools to watch volleyball practices.

"I went to Shiratorizawa for scouting purposes, for my uncle." Eri-san explained plainly.

"So all that note taking earlier….?" Kunimi began, starting to understand where this was going.

"Was me researching for my uncle." Eri finished, a strange glint in her eyes now.

Then her gaze turned to Kunimi's, and for the first time, a flicker of fear flashed through her eyes.

"Please don't tell anyone!" Eri-san's voice held the slightest bit of desperation, Kunimi could barely tell it was there.

But it was.

Kunimi nodded slowly, but reassuringly. "I won't."

A brief flash of relief flitted across her face, and she sighed.

"Thank you."

Eri-san then headed for the train station, leaving Kunimi to follow here and to his own thoughts. They were swirling and tumbling inside his head, into nothing but a jumbled mess. Eri-san was certainly, a puzzle to be solved.

* * *

Now that her research was temporally completed, Eri could either focus on a nap or drawing. Well, since she had 30 minutes to kill and no sketchbook, the choice was clear. Once she and Kunimi returned from their scouting mission, the team immediately bombarded them with questions of where they went, why they left, etc. Eri just ignored them all and fluffed up her jacket on the bench to take a quick snooze.

She briefly heard Kunimi say "I promised not to tell," and she inwardly softly smiled. She knew he could keep a secret, which was another reason why she chose him for her expedition.

And then her vision became darkness and she floated into the land of dreams and slumber.

The feeling of pure bliss and silence eagerly snatched up Eri's conscience and she drifted peacefully in the cool state of relaxation. Eri soaked it all up with great joy. This was great. However, you always feel like you never get enough sleep, and Eri was awoken by Mizoguchi's incessant poking.

"Sada-kun, stop poking me," Eri murmured sleepily, yawning and stretching as she sat up from her position on the bench.

Mizoguchi snorted. "Let's go."

Eri clumsily clambered after her cousin's retreating form, only pausing momentarily to give Kunimi an acknowledging nod and wave.

"Thanks again Kunimi for going with me," Eri called out clearly and calmly, her eyelids still dipping normally.

Kunimi turned into her direction from where he and Watari were cleaning the floors and replied with a short clipped nod.

Eri hustled out, uncaring of the whispers and stares that followed her.

Her cousin awaited her by his car, twirling the keys on his finger.

"You sure took your sweet time," Mizoguchi said with a light playful smile.

"Like you don't ever." Eri plopped herself into the seat and closed the door.

Mizoguchi sighed. She really didn't understand jokes. As he drove off into the night, Eri felt him glance at her briefly, before turning his attention to the road. WHICH he should have done in the first place!

"You seem intrigued by Kunimi," Mizoguchi thought aloud. "Though I have no clue why. He's kind of boring."

Eri gazed at her cousin thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But I've found a use for him, and he's good at keeping secrets."

Mizoguchi smirked lightly, just enough so Eri wouldn't be able to catch it in the darkness of night. "So he's caught your eye. Consider him a friend?"

Eri stiffened for a moment, just a brief moment in time. She also took a minute to answer, leading her cousin to think he was right. "No. I don't. I haven't considered anyone a friend except for Himiko and Takara since they left."

"The past is the past, you can't let it rule your life now, try to open up a bit." Mizoguchi sighed heavily, having this conversation with her many times before.

Eri simmered in silence. "Maybe," she replied, but it sure didn't sound like she took his advice at all.

Eri decided that it was too late for a nap and just stared outside the window, watching the scenery pass by casually and her thoughts took over. Yes, she had definitely found a use for Kunimi Akira. He could be the late player that could turn the game around at the climax, and maybe that's what they needed. She would have to recommend that to Irihata. But…in order to make this work, he would to be a regular, or even a starting player.

She would have to help push that, though she knew Irihata was easy to manipulate when it came to her giving advice on volleyball. However, Oikawa posed a slight problem, no doubt he would try to pry into her business, and she really didn't need his incessant nosiness. Perhaps Eri could get Iwaizumi to persuade Oikawa to stop pestering her. Yeah, that would probably work.

"You're brooding again. Also we're at your house, see you tomorrow," Mizoguchi broke through her thoughts and she quickly gathered her bag and exited the car.

She turned to thank him as she always did, but he was able to speak before she did, for once.

"Just think about what I said, ok?" Mizoguchi said.

Eri gazed hard at him, her stare stony and impossible to read. "I'll consider it. Thanks."

Which meant she'll toss it to the back of her mind and forget about it. She strolled calmly inside, setting her school bag down and taking off her shoes. Her mother popped out from around the corner, smiling brightly.

"Eri dear! It's Oyakodon tonight! Yama, Himiko and you father and I have already eaten, but I'll be glad to sit with you for company," Tatsu shone with radiance.

Eri really wished she was as beautiful as her mother, her brother got her mom's stunning looks, and even her father had his own degree of charm. Her black hair was usually messy and her eyes were as dull as the sidewalk she walked on.

No use in dwelling over things she couldn't control. Eri took her bowl of Oyakodon and chopsticks, giving her mom a grateful nod.

"Thank you for the food," Eri said before beginning to eat.

Her mom sat down next to her, bringing out her notebook full of work.

Eri glanced at it briefly, seeing her mom had scheduled an appointment with a known company.

"Did they ask you to collaborate with them?" Eri inquired curiously.

Tatsu casted a fleeting glance at her notebook. "Oh, that, yes. They want me to help them market their newest product, but their requirements are quite absurd."

Eri tilted her head in surprise, her mother was admitting a challenge might be too difficult? This was new.

"Really? How so?"

Her mother sighed, pulling out a sheet full of orders. "They want me to do a really big project, in one week. They also want me to do everything a certain way, and if it's not to their liking, they won't pay me anything."

Eri pursed her lips indignantly. "That's hardly fair. Don't accept it then."

Tatsu smirked mournfully. "I wish I could, but they're offering a large amount of money, which would help get us out of this deb-" Tatsu abruptly cut off, looking wildly in panic at her daughter.

"What was that?" Eri asked innocently, knowing that suspiciously sounded like 'debt'.

Tatsu's eyes turned hard, and she stood up, hastily grabbing her notebook with her. "Nothing for you to worry about." Briskly, Tatsu Ichijo sauntered off, a cold sweat forming on the back of her neck.

Eri raised an eyebrow, time to do some snooping that would definitely get her grounded if she was discovered. She just wouldn't get caught. While she was scheming, she had a loud and pitiful meow. She sighed, did she forget again? Casting her sights down, she saw several cats with very expectant gleams in their feline eyes. Apparently she did.

Hauling herself up, Eri pulled out both sets of pet food, already hearing the excited and gleeful yips and yaps of her dogs. She wondered if Kunimi liked cats or dogs.

Wait, what?

She backtracked and rethought what just crossed her mind.

Why the Hell did she even think that?

* * *

 **Sorry this was so late, I got sick and then had an ear infection and was also out of town. But it's up now! If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!**


	5. Temporary Manager

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **SORRY! I got sick, acquired an ear infection, out of town, competed (yeah I'm a competitive gymnast) and had massive amounts of work to do! Also my computer crashed and it took a while for it to be fixed. Also, you know, May is the season where everything gets really hectic and crazy. But yo, I'm going to see Infinity Wars tomorrow, I'm so hyped and AHHHHHHHH I WANT TO SEE IT SO BAD! Yes, I have seen all the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and not seeing Infinity Wars just because it's super popular.**

 **Here's chapter….5? Can't remember.**

* * *

Monday night.

Eri was sitting in her room upstairs, for once not sleeping, and working on the big art project. She actually had time today, since the volleyball club didn't have practice on Mondays. Sora was curled up on her lap, snoozing peacefully. Eri wasn't tired at all, her entire focus on the paper she was drawing on, her eyebrows narrowed in concentration and her mind oblivious to all that happened around her. Which wasn't really much, to be honest.

That thread of focus was snapped by a buzz from her phone. Glancing at it briefly, Eri noticed it was from Takara.

 **~Text conversation~**

Takara: HEYYYYYYYY!

Eri: Hello.

Takara: Put more emotion in your texting.

Eri: That requires effort I'm not willing to expend.

Takara: Ah well, can't help that I suppose.

Eri: Any reason why you are texting me?

Takara: Yeah, you coming to practice match tomorrow? I am.

Eri: Yes, I am. Irihata-san asked me to. I'm sitting on the bench.

Takara: Cool! Ah you'll never believe it, but Tooru managed to rope me in as temporary manager. Stupid boy, he knows I'm trying for the Olympics next year!

Eri: How is Oikawa-senpai's ankle?

Takara: I'm still really pissed at him. Ah, gotta go, see you tomorrow!

Ah.

Eri remembered the incident with Oikawa. He was over-practicing a few days ago and mildly sprained his ankle. Naturally, everyone, especially Iwaizumi, was furious at him. Eri was now extremely respectful of Iwaizumi, after witnessing that vehement tongue lashing he gave Oikawa, who wouldn't?

 _I honestly thought Oikawa was about to die from the amount of screaming Iwaizumi gave him. That baka, doesn't know when to stop. In sports or in life_ , Eri snorted to herself.

She shifted her legs, making Sora wake up and meow pitifully, the cat glaring at Eri for ruining her nap.

"Sorry Sora," Eri whispered quietly. "But I'm going to bed."

The moment Eri uttered those words, the rest of her cats and dogs flew into her room, either settling down onto her bed or curling up onto Eri's floor.

 _I swear, my pets can read my mind_ , Eri deadpanned.

After Eri dressed into her uniform, she herself switched off the lights and crawled into bed, sighing happily. Oh how she loved her bed. Her warm, sweet, comfy bed, where she didn't have to do any work or was expected to put in effort.

Her sleep was silent, blissful, and thennnnnnnnnnn….

Her brother so rudely pushed her out of bed and Eri hit the floor with a painful thud.

"Rise and shine!" Yama trilled. "You got 6 minutes!"

One of these days, Eri was going to kill her brother. Emotionlessly glaring at him, she picked herself off the floor and gathered everything she needed, from her school bag to her volleyball notebook to her sketchbook. She sighed, in order to do what she needed to do, she'd have to forego that nap she usually took during the car ride.

Tragic.

 _Ah, it's Tuesday, isn't it? The practice match is today, which means Irihata will want me to analyze everything then come up with a strategy to defeat the other team_. Eri sighed. _How troublesome_. Mizoguchi pulled up next to Eri, who clambered inside the car and curled up in the seat, watching other cars and people pass. But what insane idiot would want to be up this early? The sun was just rising now.

She reflected on Irihata's offer to become their manager and official member of the team, yet she had declined it. She really didn't want to babysit a bunch of immature teenage boys. Still, Irihata said she was welcome to chang her mind anytime.

 _What was Takara thinking for agreeing to be the temporary manager?_ Eri sighed again, something she had been doing lately. She tenderly touched her chest, feeling for the objet that lay underneath her shirt. Her most prized possession. She did love the ring her brother gave her though.

"Oh Eri, did Oikawa-san tell you how she's our temporary manager?" Mizoguchi mused thoughtfully.

Eri nodded. "She did."

For some scary reason, a wild, mischievous smirk danced on Mizoguchi's lips. Unsettled, Eri took to opening her notebook and writing some strategies down.

"Sada-kun, who are we playing today?" Eri asked nonchalantly. _If it's a school from the prefecture, I should have information on them_.

"Karasuno."

Eri stopped writing down whatever she was writng and give her cousin a slightly shocked stare. "Karasuno? The famed murder of crows led by the legendary coach Ukai?"

"Also known as the 'fallen powerhouse,' and 'flightless crows,'" Mizoguchi said. "They're not a powerhouse anymore. They should be relatively easy to defeat. Coach Ukai was recently hospitalized as well."

Eri nodded, and vaguely remembered someone she knew who went to Karasuno.

 _I wonder how he's doing…he did say he was going to Karasuno to become stronger. I'll see him today then, I know I will. He's part of the volleyball team, I do recall that detail correctly._ Eri allowed her thoughts to wander around, aimlessly gazing out the window. _It'll be cool to see how he's progressed. Actually, it'll be cool to see how Karasuno has been doing these years. In fact, I know two people who went to Karasuno …_

Upon arriving, Eri entered the volleyball gym and for the first time, Yahaba, Kindaichi and Kunimi were the only ones there, along with Irihata. Also, Takara had dragged herself to the gym. The three boys were just sitting down and "stretching", while Takara looked like she could fall asleep at any time.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early," Eri truly was surprised that Takara had managed to drag herself out of bed and get here this early. "Where's your brother? And everyone else?"

"Doctor's appointment, he'll be here for school but miss most of the practice match," Takara yawned, about to collapse and pull an Eri nap.

"Everyone else is late, so we're waiting for them to get here," Yahaba chimed in.

Eri nodded in understanding and sat herself next to Kunimi, pulling out a bag of salted caramel candies.

"Kunimi, these are for you," Eri said simply, handing him the bag. "For going to Sendai with me the other day."

Kunimi's eyes grew wide with shock and happiness and he gratefully accepted the gift.

"How'd you know that's his favorite candy?" Kindaichi asked, a hint of suspiciousness evident in his tone. Just a hint.

"I remember him saying he liked salted caramel during class yesterday," Eri calmly explained.

"Weren't you asleep?" Kunimi lifted an eyebrow skeptically.

Eri blinked, her eyes a little warmer than usual. "I always pay attention to those I'm fond of."

Practically everyone but Takara were stunned by this sudden announcement. The air was heavier, and the silence was deafening. Although it was never ever said in the gym, Ichijo Eri was rumored to never have any friends except from her own family, Takara, and a second year named Toyosaki.

"It's rare for you to admit that," Mizoguchi remarked, coming closer to them.

Kunimi stiffened slightly.

 _Kunimi's tired of running from him_ , Eri noted. _Mizoguchi probably picks on Kunimi to be faster or work harder the most._

"If it's the truth, I have no problem saying it. Especially about people I've taken an interest in," answered Eri. "I rather like Kunimi, he's interesting. Very few people catch my attention like he has."

Said boy was slowly losing his calm and collected exposure. A soft pink blush dusted his cheeks.

"Ooh, lucky!" Yahaba called out, like the way they yelled that in volleyball games.

Eri believed they were misinterpreting her words. Kunimi was interesting...….because she'd found a use for him, a turning player for when the game got tough. And she would definitely make sure to play the chess board correctly, using every chess piece to her advantage. Despite the fact she knew how to play the game, she rather sucked at chess when she was the one behind the pieces. The metaphorical chess game she was pretty good at. Just not the literal one.

 _Actually, mum's side of the family hasn't held a family chess competition in a while now_ , Eri mused thoughtfully.

Takara flopped onto the floor in between Eri and Kindaichi, who flinched from reflex when she slid next to him, and moaned sleepily. "Too early."

"Just sleep in class, that's what Eri-san always does in class," Kunimi offered, stashing away the salted caramel candies for later.

"I'm not that smart to be able to fall and still be able to pass the class with the highest grades!" Takara whined pitifully. "How do you do it Eri?"

Eri held a rather amused yet opaque expression painted on her face "Didn't I tell you? I'm always asleep in class, yet I can still hear things happening around me while asleep."

Takara's jaw dropped in amazement. "Lucky!"

* * *

Eri was currently waiting for Karasuno to arrive. Since she really didn't have anything else to do, her cousin had charged her with door duty. She remembered how livid he was at most of the team for being late, they only got an hour of morning practice in.

 _It's probably the reason he's been so short with me today_ Eri mused.

So that's how she got stuck awaiting Karasuno's arrival. Joy. Faintly in the distance, she heard the screech of tires and warily, she retreated closer to the school for safety. A large bus came into view and skidded to a halt, and practically all the volleyball team escaped the bus, fleeing like rats. She heard screeching and yelling from inside the bus, and she sweat-dropped. Were they a cult? She heard a sleepy looking boy sigh about someone throwing up on the bus.

Ah. So that's what all the yelling was about. She bustled over to the storage building nearby (very convenient) and grabbed a bunch of towels, cleaner, disposable gloves and some plastic baggies. Then Eri rushed over to the bus, where she received several stares, and climbed into the bus. The revolting stench of putrid, rotting throw up made her gag, but she pressed on. In the back was a boy with puked on pants, a pale, faint faced boy with orange hair, people she presumed to be the captain and vice-captain, and a young man with glasses and wavy black hair.

There was also a super, mega, ultra-hot, sexy and drop dead beautiful manager there. She felt kind of plain, ugly and depressed after seeing the beauty manager. She received a confused glance from the silver haired boy when she bent down and started to clean up the puke on the floor.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to do this!" The silver haired boy immediately tried to pry the towels from her hands, but she kept a firm grip on them.

"It's our duty at Aoba Johsai students to treat our guests with the most hospitality we can give," Eri blinked sleepily. "Besides I'm only cleaning the floor. You can deal with the puked pants."

She wordlessly handed the brown haired boy (probably the captain) the plastic baggies.

After a few minutes, everything had been sorted and cleaned up, Eri believed the worst had passed. Now she had to drench her hands in soap and water, they smelled awful, even if she wore gloves.

"Thank you so much for your help," the captain, whose name Eri had learned was Sawamura, said and bowed lowly.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" The entire team yelled in unison.

She actually knew all their names now because they kept yelling at each other. Rather funny honestly. Ehhhhh…. She really didn't need this extra noise and bothersome boys, but she could deal with it. For the moment.

"On behalf of the Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club, welcome to our school." Eri responded cordially. She wondered when he'd recognize her.

She stood quietly, waiting for them to organize themselves. She watched in amusement as Tanaka laughed loudly and told Hinata they were counting on him, the latter shivering and declaring he needed the bathroom.

 _So Hinata still has really bad nerves_ Eri mentally laughed.

As Kageyama went to knock some sense into Hinata, and Sugawara was attempting to stop him, Eri's eyes lingered on Kageyama for a bit.

 _So that's the famed King of the Court that Kindaichi always complains about. From what I've heard, he's an incredible setter with astounding abiltites, but not a great team player. I'll have to see for myself during this match_ Eri mentally noted.

"Sho-kun, the bathrooms are the other way," Eri called out, seeing the nervous boy going off in the wrong direction.

"Oi oi, you ain't our friend or anything just cause you helped us," Tanaka said lowly, trying to sound like a punk.

But then Hinata turned and actually saw her for the first time, his eye growing really wide with delight and recognition. "ERI-KUN!"

"EHHHHHH?"

 _You finally remembered me, Sho-kun_.

"Hey Hinata, how do you know her?" Sugawara asked curiously.

"Oh she went to the same Junior High as me, and she's the one who taught me volleyball!" Hinata's eye sparkled as he started walking over to her.

"Nice try, go to the bathrooms before you throw up on me, and you wouldn't want that, would you?" Eri said, her eyes stern, cold and deadly.

Hinata recalled that look very clearly, and clutched his stomach as it turned and churned. "R-r-right."

Kageyama turned his narrowed and suspicious eyes toward Eri. "Did you not to Kitagawa Daiichi?"

Eri raised an eyebrow, allowing her slight annoyance to peak through her stony mask. "If I went to Sho-kun's Junior High, then clearly I didn't go to Kitagawa Daiichi."

The tall blonde Tsukishima snickered loudly. "I like her. She's not a simpleton like you, King."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Now now Kageyama, don't get mad!"

In the midst of the chaos, Tanaka started to walk off, with the other three first years. Eri followed them, just to make sure they didn't get lost. Then, Tanaka got this creepy, dangerous look on his face, and Eri heard Yahaba and Kindaichi talking about Karasuno from around the corner.

 _I figured. This will be funny_.

As Tanaka and Tsukishima antagonized Kindaichi and Yahaba, and Sawamura had to drag them away, Eri's sympathies extended towards the captain. And this is why she didn't want to be the manager, having to babysit a bunch of babies would be exhausting.

"It's been a while, King. What kind of dictatorship are you running now?" Kindaichi was definitely baiting Kageyama.

But all Kageyama did was nod and said "yeah."

 _Ah, maybe Kageyama has changed and isn't the dictator king anymore_ , Eri's eyes lit up in dull excitement. _This ought to be thrilling._

"Kindaichi, Yahaba-senpai, the match will start soon, I suggest you get to the gym quickly. I'll take Karasuno there when they're ready," Eri called out from behind the tall Karasuno players.

Kindaichi blinked then nodded slowly. "Y-yeah."

Both he and Yahaba walked away.

"Are you the manger?" Sawamura asked, a tint of exasperation in his voice left over from Tanaka though none of his irritation was directed at her.

"No, I'm not interested in babysitting a bunch of boys. My friend is their temporary manger since they couldn't find one," Eri briefly explained. "When you are ready, I'll lead you to the gym."

After Hinata returned from the bathroom, not looking much better Eri may add, and Sawamura had drilled some last minute manners into Tanaka, Eri believed they were ready to go. Her phone buzzed, and it was a text from Mizoguchi yelling for her to hurry up. Eri sighed, she really deserved an extra-long nap after this practice match. Eri swiftly led them to the gym, her eyes drooping and her shoulders were slumping more than usual. Opening the gym doors, she found the entire Aoba Johsai team warming up. She also witnessed Takara running around in a panic like a chicken with its head cut off.

Giving balls to players, chasing down balls, handing out water bottles and towels, Takara was definitely panicking. Eri contemplating helping her, but her first priority was sleeping, so maybe that was a no. Eh, Takara was her friend…

"NICE TO MEET YOU!" The Karasuno team yelled in unison and bowed in greeting.

As the Aoba Johsai team returned the greeting, Eri calmly strolled to where her cousin was standing with Irihata.

"Why were you so late?" Mizoguchi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"One of their new players threw up, I had to clean it up." Eri sighed. "Never will I become a mother."

"You'd have to get married first, and I highly doubt Yama-kun will let you get married," Mizoguchi snickered.

"You are most correct, dear cousin."

She glanced over to Hinata, who was still looking like a nervous wreck and bolted for the bathroom. This was worse than Eri thought.

Takara slid in front of Eri's face, desperate.

"Help me!"

Eri sighed again, then helped Takara round up all the balls and get everything ready while the players finished warming up. Finally, after a long time that Eri could have used for a nap, the two teams were almost ready to begin the practice match.

"Hey Kunimi," Eri said softly, causing him to pause immediately and he gave her his undivided attention.

"Yeah?"

"What did you think of Kageyama during Junior High?" Eri inquired, wanting to collect accurate information from another reliable source.

Kunimi's eyebrows furrowed a bit, and an annoyed expression flitted over his face. "Kagey-"

"Kageyama was an oppressive dictator who only focused on himself, and he wasn't a team player at all!" Kindaichi spewed out angrily. "And-"

"I believe Eri-chan was speaking to Kunimi-kun, not _you_ ," Takara hissed coldly. "It's quite rude to interrupt someone, isn't it?"

Kindaichi opened his mouth to speak but wisely kept closed after seeing the dangerous glint in Takara's normally bright and cheerful eyes. Practically everyone, both Karasuno and Seijoh, felt the cold, dark aura emitted from Oikawa's sister.

 _That seemed freaky. Almost as if… there was something supernatural about her … despite the fact you also interrupted him,_ Eri worried for Takara.

"Everyone, please line up," Eri called out, relieving the frigid tense atmosphere.

Quickly, not to anger any more of the females, the teams lined up, bowing and calling out their match greeting.

"LET'S PLAY!"

Eri whipped out her green notebook, not the scouting one or her sketchbook, but the one she used for matches and practices. She even had a color coordination system because she literally had about 50 notebooks she had used or was currently writing in. If it was a black or white notebook, it was for scouting purposes. If it was any color or shade of the rainbow, it was for making notes of practices, plays, and matches of other schools and working out a strategy to combat them. If it had any type of design except flowers on the cover, it was for her own notes for stories she wanted to write. The notebooks with the flowery designed covers were her sketchbooks.

"Matsukawa, nice serve!"

Matsukawa served regularly, and Karasuno's captain was all set to receive, until Hinata darted in front of Sawamura-san and performed a sloppy receive.

 _That was obviously Sawamura-san's ball,_ Eri sighed, Hinata really needed to learn to how calm himself.

Clearly Kageayama agreed with her as he yelled at Hinata for being dimwitted and to pay attention. Luckily for them Ennoshita-san managed to save the ball and sent to Tanaka, who spiked the ball. Alas, the blockers of Seijoh proved to stop the spike and killed it.

It was at that moment Eri realized that they probably had some members missing. For one, they didn't have a libero. They also didn't have an ace. Although Tanaka was certainly a powerful spiker, Eri believed he didn't have the ace demeanor that aces like Iwaizumi or Ushijima did.

After watching them play longer and longer (and Hinata flubbing practically every time the ball went his way), the picture became clearer to her.

 _They're not a functional team. They're don't have the trust to work like an actual team, they aren't a team yet, just a group of individuals playing together_. Eri scribbled that down. _They also don't have the strongest offense, and their defense certainly is very weak. More specifically Tsukishima and Hinata. Sawamura is a very capable receiver, as is Ennoshita._

Eri kept writing down notes, figuring that it was almost time to use them. _Yet I feel like if they had a proper coach, and time to bond, they could become a powerhouse school that could easily rival Aoba Johsai and even Shiratorizawa_. She definitely didn't write that note where the coaches could see it.

She handed her notebook to Irihata, whose eyes skimmed over the page with the other notes and nodded in gratitude and agreement. Taking it back, Eri began cooking up ideas to crush Karasuno.

 _We'll send our servers to target Hinata and Tsukishima when they're on the back line, for they're the worst receivers. Also, I want to try to make Karasuno feel pressured so they'll panic and lose their cool._ Eri mentally grinned (cause her face was still set in that permanent neutral, sleepy look) watching Kindaichi push through his toes for spiking and waiting just a second longer when jumping to block. _He's following my advice, well done_.

However, while Eri watched Hinata trip over himself and collide with his teammates, Eri sweat dropped. Maybe targeting Hinata wasn't the best plan right now, for his own sake. And despite the captain's efforts to calm the poor first year, it wasn't working at all. Eri faced it, Hinata was a nervous wreck.

When Aoba Johsai was at set point, Karasuno finally managed to gain 13 points. There was no doubt who was going to win this set.

"Everyone, calm down!" Sawamura tried to make the mood positive. "We're going to take back as many points as possible!"

Eir commended him on his efforts.

"Next up to serve is…." A look of horror and gloom washed over Sawamura's face.

"Well they're screwed," Takara snorted from her positon next to Eri on the bench.

Hinata.

Hinata was visibly panicking. It wasn't a good sign. Eri pursed her lips, if this continued, she would have to request Hinata be taken out for the safety of all players. An uncontrolled piece could devastate the board. The whistle blew, and Hinata jolted, sending the ball into the air. Clumsily, he hit it and Eri could already see the ball's destination.

Right into the back of Kageyama's head.

SMACK.

Silence was issued throughout the entire gym, so tense and scary.

Eri wordlessly wrote 'R.I.P Hinata,' and tore the paper out of her notebook, handing it to Mizoguchi, who nodded in agreement. The air was still heavy and thick with tension.

Kageyama turned around, a fiery aura that emitted death surrounded him. Eri heard both Kindaichi and Kunimi gulp softly, figuring they had both experienced Kageyama's wrath beforehand as well. Hinata had already resigned himself to the grave.

The awkward silence was broken by Tanaka's, Tsukishima's, and Takara's hysterical laughing, Takara even toppled off the bench because she was cackling so much. Eri did had to admit, it was pretty funny, but she'd rather it never happen to her. As Tanaka and Tsukishima were making fun of the King and Hinata, Sugawara and the others were trying to keep Kageyama from murdering Hinata.

"Kageyama! Don't kill him!" Ennoshita yelled out.

Kagayama, with his dark aura still surrounding him, started walking towards Hinata, who scooted back to the wall like a scuttling crab.

"W-wait! Once I explain, you'll understand!" Hinata frantically yelped.

"Well that shrimp is practically done for," Iwaizumi snorted.

"That's the understatement of the year," Hanamaki cackled, watching the scene in amusement.

Eri observed as Kageyama creepily continuously smack the back of his head while getting Hinata out of his jittery nerves. Thank goodness for that.

Irihata gathered the team for Eri during the time between sets. He gestured for her to take the lead.

"Their defense is incredibly weak, target the shrimp and tall blonde, they're the worst receivers." Eri said, her notebook out. "Pressure them into panicking, make them make mistakes."

"OSSU!" Seijoh echoed and Eri nodded her head softly in pride.

Now that the first set over, they lined up for the second set. And surprisingly, Tanaka was decent at pep talks. And everything he said was true.

The set began with Ennoshita, and when Yahaba set the ball for Kunimi, Kunimi spiked it towards Tsukishima, exactly like Eri had said.

 _Perfect, it wasn't a clean receive, they won't be able to attack to their best potential,_ Eri's sharp mind was running in circles from all the thinking she was doing.

A definite long nap was ensured after this.

Yet, Hinata was already in the air, poised to spike. And Kageyama sent the ball towards Hinata faster than a bolt of lightning. However, although it didn't connect with Hinata, it was breathtakingly fast. Everyone was stunned at the sheer speed of the quick, even if Hinata wasn't able to hit it.

 _Amazing. If they can get their timing in sync, they'll have an extremely powerful weapon to use against opponents. That's a really fast first tempo attack_ , Eri thought in wonder. _No, maybe even minus tempo, but is that possible_?

 _This suddenly got a lot more_ _interesting_.

* * *

 **Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, favorited and read my story, it means a lot.**

 **Also, you've seen I've changed the title of the story. While the original title had a significance meaning that would have been explained later on, there were several reasons I changed it.**

 **1\. It was a really long title.**

 **2\. The original title I scraped because the meaning behind it I had to change and since the meaning has been changed, the original title wouldn't have made sense.**

 **3\. I like this one much better.**

 **If you have any complaints, please file out a complaint form and submit it under the "review" category, and we shall take your complaint to consideration. Thank you for visiting the Office of Key to my Heart.**


	6. Loss is Necessary for Growth (real)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, favorited, etc. I would mention those who did review and thank them personally, but honestly I can't remember most of them and I'm too lazy to check. Sorry guys.**

 **I will say a special thanks to Jungkookies for always giving me great advice!**

 **Yo! My family found this tiny black cat, and he was starving, so we're keeping him temporarily until someone wants him or my siblings and I can convince our mom to let us keep him. And he's soooooooooooooooooooooo cute!**

* * *

It took another try, but Karasuno managed to pull off that freakishly fast quick.

"Amazing," Eri breathed out in wonder.

"Yeah, that is a pretty awesome quick." Takara agreed from her spot next to Eri.

"That will be an extremely and insanely powerful weapon when they perfect that quick," Mizoguchi added from nearby. "Kageyama truly is a genius setter."

 _But Sho-kun is closing his eyes, which means he won't be able to aim around the block if needed_ , Eri thought with a bit of worry. _That quick is spectacular, but has limits and a weakness. If anyone was to exploit that weakness, Karasuno will find themselves in a pickle_. She quickly jotted that note down, also writing up some notes on how to counter that quick.

"Aren't you going to watch the game?" Takara asked, watching Iwaizumi score another point.

"I am. It's called multitasking." Eri answered shortly, still scribbling down notes on that quick.

Takara smiled and looked back onto the game, watching as Karasuno was steadily staying with Seijoh in points. With Hinata's and Kageyama's freak quick, they were racking up the points.

 _Karasuno might actually win this set. But then a third set would be issued and really means more work for me and less time for me to nap._ Eri calculated this wouldn't take more than another hour and 30 minutes. Hopefully.

Now that Hinata wasn't a nervous wreck, the game was going more smoothly and Eri believed it would wrap up shortly. Eventually, Karasuno managed to win the set, and the timeout between sets was called. Vaguely, Eri heard Irihata talking with the players about strategies and other stuff. On the other side of the court, Karasuno was hyper and ready to celebrate for their premature victory.

 _If they're smart, they will have already figured out that Yahaba isn't our main setter. And that our regular setter is a monster you're not ready to face just yet._

Eri caught Kageyama staring at their team, probably gauging their abilities. She sent a blank stare in return.

 _Two can play this game, King_.

A small noise of disgust escaped Takara's mouth, and Eri also heard too high pitched squeals from girls in the stands above.

"Oikawa!"

"Oikawa-kun!"

"He's so cute!"

"Oikawa-kun, look this way!"

"Take care of yourself!"

The squeals became even more overbearing when Oikawa flashed a smile in their direction.

"Your brother really is just a bit annoying," Eri muttered slightly glaring at the fangirls above.

"Just a bit?" Takara wryly smiled.

"I'll revise that statement."

Oikawa calmly strolled over to them, with a relaxed, charming smile gracing his lips.

 _What a fake_.

"Oh, Oikawa, you're here now," Irihata said, glancing at his best player on the team. "What did the doctor say?"

Oikawa grinned, making an ok sign with his fingers. "I'm good to go!"

"Geez Nii-san! Don't over-practice like an idiot and we wouldn't have this problem!" Takara snapped, glaring disapprovingly at her brother.

Iwaizumi triumphantly smirked. "Nicely said, my star pupil."

Takara beamed in delight, "Thanks Nii-chan!"

"Why does Iwa-chan get a 'chan' but I get a 'san'?" Oikawa yelped, indignant over the current situation.

Takara smirked devilishly and snickered. "I like Iwaizumi-nii better than you."

Oikawa died in a puddle of shock, sadness, and it really wasn't all that hilarious. His soul was coming right out his body in a wisp of smoke.

"OI, heads back in the game guys!" Mizoguchi said, bringing their attention back to what they were doing.

Eri began to speak, not caring if anyone heard her. If they wanted advice, they would listen. If not, oh well for them. Surprisingly, they all shut up and listened to her the moment she began to speak. Mostly because Iwaizumi gave them the death glare, and also, stunningly, Kunimi had spoken up to hush the team.

She upgraded Kunimi from a rook to a knight on the board.

"Continue to target their weakest players, break their morale. Crush their wings. Ensure they can't fly." Eri said, drawing weirded out looks. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…." Matsukawa hesitated to finish.

Eri hated when people did that.

"We've never heard you sound like that….sadistic before." Watari concluded.

 _Ah. I've heard this one before._

"We're in a game. Don't you want to win? A game is like war." Eri said bluntly. "In war, you must use all of your weapons combined with strategies to win. Your strategy is to break their morale. Your weapons are your strengths and skills. Use them efficiently. Do whatever it takes to win, even if it means utterly destroying and shattering your opponents. This isn't a game to be nice. You're playing to win. But have good sportsmanship."

Just prickling silence. All the players were kind of stunned by her words. Words that didn't seem to belong to the quiet, sleepy, bored girl. They still didn't speak even after the whistle blew, signaling for them to resume the match. The only words spoken before the game picked up was Irihata telling Oikawa to stretch properly before returning to play.

Watching the Seijoh players move more fluidly, Eri knew they had taken her words to meaning.

"You know, you're right. The game is a battle in a sense." Takara said suddenly.

Eri blinked calmly. "Elaborate from your perspective please."

Takara grinned that beautiful, vibrant smile that made people turn in her direction. "In a battle, one mistake can cause you to either die, or lose the fight. You have to be in tune all the time, focused on your goal. One mishap can be devastating, and it can cost lives. In the game sense, lives are points."

Eri narrowed her eyes just slightly. It gave her the illusion that she was even more sleepy, what a nice cover.

 _Those words were too realistic. It's like she knew exactly what a battle was like. What has she been through?_

Good thing Eri was great at hiding emotions and thoughts.

"Nice kill Kunimi!"

Her attention snapped to the boy in question. Ah, there was her knight piece, just scoring a great spike. The third set was going good, until Karasuno was almost at set point, with Seijoh themselves at 18 points. Eri crunched the corner of the notebook paper in slight agitation. Seijoh wasn't taking Karasuno very seriously anymore now that Oikawa had arrived. She tried to keep her cool, to keep the façade she had been fabricating for years.

Yet after watching Hanamaki not save a ball that could have been easily saved, her exasperation spiked. She hated when people make a commitment and then not perform to what they promised. It was infuriating, aggravating, showed no hard work, and that you were flaky. The resentment bubbled deep in her mind, until it almost exploded.

For the first time in 6 years, she leapt to her feet and yelled in public.

"AOBA JOHSAI!" She screeched angrily. "Get your heads out of your asses and actually play like you mean it! Never underestimate an opponent!"

Mizoguchi scooted several inches back, actually never seeing Eri yell or cuss before. The volleyball players looked terrified (all but Iwaizumi and Kunimi), and Irihata's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"H-h-hai!" They yelped from fear.

Eri sighed, sitting back down. Oh dear, she just made a fool out of herself, didn't she. However Takara sent her an appreciative grin, flashing a thumbs up.

"Good thing you said that when you did, I probably wouldn't have been so nice," Takara snorted. "I've never seen you express emotions so strongly, it's good to show them sometimes."

Eri sighed once more. "I hate it when people don't do what they're supposed to do to the fullest of their capability."

Karasuno ended up winning that set, but Eri wasn't displeased. After her outburst, she saw the players work harder and play like they wanted to win. And that made her happy. During the rest period between sets, Eri assisted in handing out water bottles, and as she handed one to Yahaba, she quickly noticed the extremely subtle flinch he did when she approached.

"What?" Eri asked, her voice dull and lifeless.

Back to normal Eri.

"Nothing…." Yahaba mumbled incoherently.

Eri raised an eyebrow, she definitely didn't believe that. "Nothing you say?"

Yahaba gulped, then blurted out what was on his mind. "You'rejustreallyscarywhenyou'remad!"

AH, that was it. She knew that outburst would bring negative results with it. Somehow she was able to understand that.

"Perhaps I am. I do have emotions you know." Eri mused. "I rarely get angry so you'll live to see another day."

Mizoguchi thumped her head, making her once again, sigh.

"I swear you just made a joke," Mizoguchi muttered, checking her forehead for a temperature.

She swatted his hand away, very unappreciative of her cousin's action. "I do have a sense of humor. Shouldn't the third set begin soon anyway?"

All the players hastily handed Takara their water bottles, who almost dropped all of them in a panic, and rushed back onto the courts. Eri retook her spot on the bench while Takara was trying to figure out which water bottle went where. The coaches also sat down next to Eri, one of each side of her. A tiny pang of disappointement hit Eri's heart, there was the miniscule hope Takara would sit next to her. Can't be picky though.

As she watched the set progress, Eri had filled up half a page in her notebook, on ways to combat the freakishly speed quick. During this time, she also noted that Karasuno relied on that quick far too much.

 _There will be a team that will get used to that quick, and use it against you. They'll keep shutting it out, and it'll frustrate you so much. Will you be able to survive that without crumbling_? Eri narrowed her sights on the legendary crows. She did want to face them at the Inter-High after all. From what she learned, they didn't have a proper coach, maybe she should go to Karasuno one day and help them out.

 _Where's all this extra kindness coming from_?

Finally, once again, Karasuno was at set point, four points ahead of Aoba Johsai. Although Eri already knew who Irihata was switching out for Oikawa, she had wanted to keep him in longer. Signaling to the ref they were putting in a pinch server, Eri pulled out her notebook again.

 _How's Karasuno going to deal with Oikawa's monster serve_?

Kunimi left the court (something Eri surprisingly found herself a bit bitter about) and Oikawa held the ball in his hand, like a cobra ready to strike.

"No matter how good your offense is, it means nothing if you can't connect it," Oikawa coyly smirked, pointing the ball into Tsukishima's direction.

The look of shock on Sugawara's face was a bit amusing to Eri. Oikawa was an annoyingly observant player, of course he noticed Tsukishima's and Hinata's poor receiving skills. As Oikawa jumped into the air to serve, Eri tsked.

 _He put too much weight on his bad knee. I'll have to talk to Sada-kun and Takeko-san about that._

Just as she predicated, the serve was sent directly to Tsukishima, who gave Oikawa the service ace point. The rest of the game was unknown to Eri as she settled down for a quick 5 minute nap. Her body shut down, incapable of functioning any longer. Right before she landed in the world of sleep, she had to admit the confused faces of Karasuno were hilarious.

She awoke to Kunimi's blank face hovering above her own.

"Mizoguchi-san was too afraid to wake you, so he made me do it." Kunimi bluntly explained.

Made sense.

Eri nodded her head and pushed herself up into an upright positon. "Thanks."

The players were cleaning the gym before they left for the day, and she couldn't find Kindaichi anywhere.

"Kunimi, where's Kindaichi?"

"I'll find him."

Tragically, once again, her cousin made her lead Karasuno back to their bus, just in case they got lost. Yup, she was going to sleep the moment she got home, and never wake up again. Leading them out of the school grounds, echoes of their conversation reached her ears. Wise words Sawamura-san.

"Eri-kun, do you think we could have beat Seijoh at its fullest?" Hinata bubbly asked, stars shining in his eyes.

Eri gave him a deadpan look. "Absolutely not."

The energy and moral of Karasuno deflated by 50 meters.

"HUH? Eri-kun, why not?" Hinata demanded furiously.

Eri sent the decoy a skeptical glance. "With the current state your team is in, there's no way you could have beat Seijoh at the prime. Everyone on that team is extremely skilled, high leveled, and can function well as a team. Karasuno cannot."

A dark, menacing shadow loomed over Tanaka's face, as did Kageyama's.

"Are you, who looks like you've never played volleyball in your life," Tanaka began darkly. "Saying that Karasuno is trash and will never succeed?"

An icy gleam glinted in Eri's eyes, chilling Karasuno's hearts in slight fear. She blankly stared at them. "No. I never said that."

Hinata, that poor idiot, was utterly confused. "But….you said we couldn't ever beat Aoba Johsai…"

Eri swiftly snapped a finger to his lips, shushing the shrimpy middle blocker. "I said you couldn't beat Aoba Johsai in the current state Karasuno is in. With lots of hard work, bonding, and practice, I believe you will have the ability to beat even Shiratorizawa. But only if you can connect as a team."

She received a few blank stares, yet Eri's eyes darted around insanely fast, and saw the sparkles of hopes in Karasuno's eyes, hearts, and demeanors.

"Eri-kun, you should really play on the girl's team, your terrifyingly scary battle mind and observation skills would make you a formidable player!" Hinata declared passionately.

Eri snorted. "You're forgetting the fact I have absolutely no athletic abilities whatsoever."

Noticing they had almost reached the entrance, Eri turned to the captain. "Take care of them. Train them well. If you need me to help you coach anything, Hinata has my number."

Sawamura's eyes lit with both suspicion and interest. "You're a coach?"

"Technically, no. But I've had enough experience with the pro volleyball players to know to coach high school." Eri yawned, briefly glancing up at the sun's position. Way past her naptime.

"Thank you for your offer, like you said, there's no way we could have beaten Seijoh right now. We're too fractured." Sawamura agreed with her.

"Spoken like a true captain," a silky, charming voice rang out. "You know your stuff."

Eri sighed with weariness, did she really have to deal with him without Takara?

Karasuno had all taken notice of the Captain of Aoba Johsai by now.

Tanaka, Yamaguchi (now wasn't that a surprise), Hinata and Tsukishima all glared at the flaky captain.

"The Grand King appears!" Hinata announced dramatically, hiding behind Tanaka.

"What's your problem? Wanna fight?" Tanaka attempted to look threatening, with Hinata echoing.

Oikawa waved all that shamelessly, a flirty smile on his lips. "Now there's no need for that hostility."

And as Oikawa praised Hinata, he practically insulted the rest. Although all of it was in controlled, subtle jabs. However no one missed it. He also declared war against Kageyama at the Inter-High.

"Receivers don't train overnight, that's for sure, ask your captain." Oikawa smirked, walking away. "There's not much time left before the Inter-High. Ichijo-san, let's go."

"Don't order me around," Eri muttered in a monotone, not moving from where she stood in defiance.

Was it defiance if you weren't under their authority? And then, they all heard furious, harsh, hasty footsteps coming their way. Takara was stomping towards him, a look of anger and extreme frustration molded onto her face. She threw the manager jacket at Oikawa in a rage, her eyes burning.

"I'm never going to be your stupid manager," she hissed angrily. "I don't have the damn time to babysit your players and continue with the sport I love! I just can't do it!"

"You could just stop your sport and become our permanent manager instead," Oikawa suggested carelessly, yet completely, dead serious.

 _That was the incredibly wrong choice of words senpai._ Eri whipped around towards Karasuno, bowing.

"Thank you very much for coming, please leave immediately for your own safety," Eri hastily said, glancing back at the storm brewing.

Sawamura nodded and ushered his team like a mama duck guiding baby ducks as fast as he could. Luckily, most of the Karasuno players had seen the fury in Takara's eyes and completely agreed with Eri, retreating swiftly.

Takara exploded like a raging volcano, and it wasn't pretty at all.

The only thing Eri heard as she fled was Takara's very vehement screech.

"YOU'RE SO DAMN SELFISH TOORU! THE WORLD DOESN'T CIRCLE AROUND YOU! YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND EXPECT EVERYONE TO SACRIFICE EVERYTHING JUST FOR YOU!"

Eri was pretty sure Karasuno could hear that all the way from in the bus that was currently speeding away. Eri herself was fleeing, it also seemed like a family matter right there.

 _Although I do know Takara has been harboring those feelings for a while. Actually, for several years I believe. Should I intervene? No, I don't think so. I can't say this will turn out pretty_.

* * *

Once Eri entered the gym, Kunimi glanced in her direction and looked at her curiously. Mostly because:

Eri was slightly out of breath, as if she was running.

He had heard an enraged scream earlier, which came from the direction Eri-san was previously in.

Oikawa and Oikawa-san weren't back yet with Eri-san.

There was a bit of worry and fear in her eyes that she hadn't managed to conceal yet.

(Thought process took 0.8 seconds).

"Eri-san, did you actually run?" Kunimi in a slightly disbelieving tone.

Eri-san nodded her head no. "I did walk much faster than usual."

At this Kunimi narrowed his eyes at her. "What happened?"

"Taka-chan and Oikawa-senpai are currently having a massive dispute that I'm sure I'll hear about when Taka-chan texts me in rants." Eri-san sighed.

Eri-san seemed to be sighing a lot recently. Or maybe she just always sighed. Either way, a fight between his senpai and the senpai's sister wasn't a good thing. More importantly, Eri-san seemed just a little shaken up from their fight. Kunimi concluded that she hadn't seen much of it, just enough to make her worry. But Eri-san was worrying more than one usually does…

Kunimi sighed, mimicking Eri-san's actions. "Don't worry so much. They'll be fine."

Eri-san's cold, calculating gaze darted over to Kunimi's face, her eyes narrowing just a bit. "I don't like how perspective you are. But I guess I can use that."

That last part left Kunimi a bit unnerved, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Kindaichi walked over and yawned, something Kunimi was quite certain Eri-san wanted to do as well.

"I want to go to sleep and never wake up again." Kindaichi mumbled, his bag in his hands.

"Same." Eri-san blankly said that sounded far too serious, her eyes drooping far more than normal.

Were her eyes even open?

Mizoguchi, the terrifying beasts of all monsters, joined their little huddle. Most of his attention was directed towards his cousins, although he did give Kunimi a stern glance, which meant Kunimi should have worked harder in that practice match. Darn.

"Eri-chan, I have an appointment tonight, so I can't take you home, sorry," Mizoguchi didn't appear like he liked this new arrangement.

Eri-san nodded. "I'll just walk home by myself."

Mizoguchi snorted and ruffled Eri-san's hair, and she didn't look very pleased either. "Nice try." Glancing around, Mizoguchi's sights zoned into three players in particular. "Kindaichi, Kunimi and…..Yahaba! Walk her home."

Eri-san shook her head in displeasure. "It's not fair to them. I could live in the totally opposite direction."

Kunimi was freaked out by Mizoguchi's creepy grin.

"Yeah, but I'm their coach, and if they don't want to do suicide drills, they'll do as I say."

Kindaichi stiffly nodded yes, while Yahaba sprinted so fast over to them, he could have won a gold medal in the Olympics. How cruel coach.

Apparently Eri-san was thinking the same thing. "How cruel Sada-kun."

And that's how Kunimi, Kindaichi, and Yahaba found themselves walking Eri-san home. Eri-san was silent for the most part, while Kindaichi and Yahaba aimlessly talked about whatever. Kunimi listened in while speaking his piece at times and watching out for Eri-san.

"Ne, ne! Ichijo-san! You should become our manager!" Yahaba kept persistently pestering her.

Eri didn't turn as she gave the same answer she had given the previous 398 times. "No. I'm not interested."

"Why not?" Kindaichi actually had the audacity to ask.

Kunimi wanted to face palm. Didn't they understand that if Eri-san had consistently said no, her answer probably wouldn't change? She also probably had personal reasons she didn't want to join the team as a manager. They saw her enough because she had to stick around during their practices. She practically was their manager, except she didn't do the manager duties.

"Because I don't want to," came Eri-san's clipped, short response. "So stop bothering me. My answer won't change."

Yahaba slung an arm around her shoulder casually, an action that made stiffen ever so slightly.

"Don't be so cold and stiff, relax!" Yahaba grinned. "Unofficially, you're part of the team now! You're one of us!"

"Utter joy." Eri-san responded with absolutely no emotions in her voice. Except maybe the slightest trace of sarcasm.

Kindaichi looked as he might say a piece when Eri-san halted suddenly in her tracks.

"Oh look, we're here. Thanks for walking with me, have a good night," Eri-san cordially said, practically bowing faster than lighting and rushing inside.

The echo of the door slamming shut still rang in their ears, it kind of felt like a rejection. In a sense, it was.

"Do you think we pissed her off?" Kindaichi asked innocently.

Honestly, were his teammates really that thick? Kunimi wondered how they both got into class 5.

"No, just you two," Kunimi snickered without any shame at all. "She was pretty annoyed with the two of you pestering her."

Yahaba's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Really? I couldn't tell at all. She always had that neutral, sleepy look."

Kunimi sighed. "The finer details matter too."

But seriously, even Kunimi himself found it strange that he was the only one who noticed those things about her. Or maybe he was paying too much attention to her.

* * *

The bus ride back to Karasuno was normal for the team. With the grand exception of the enraged screams from the Grand King's sister echoing in their memories. Everyone was either sleeping or talking amongst themselves, and Hinata's curiosity spiked for the player known as Karasuno's Guardian Deity, also known as Nishinoya Yuu.

"Hinata, so that Ichijo-san girl was the one who taught you volleyball during your Junior High years?" Sugawara questioned curiously.

Hinata's eyes sparkled like at the mention of Ichijo's name. "Yeah! She's so cool!"

Sawamura thoughtfully mused over that. "Ichijo-san seemed like she knew what she was doing, especially when she helped coach Seijoh during the timeouts. But she wasn't the manager."

Hinata nodded enthusiastically. "Eri-kun is basically Eri- oujo!"

Yamaguchi choked on his water he was currently sipping. "Oujo? How is she a princess?"

"Her uncle and aunt are the head coaches of the men's and women's national volleyball teams, and she has another aunt and uncle who are the head and president of the Japan Volleyball Association," Hinata listed off carelessly. "Lots of her maternal cousins have really high government positions, like one of her cousins is the Minister of Justice. Also her parents were Olympic gold medalists. Her dad was a libero and her mom was an ace on their teams. And that's just her mom's side."

Prickling silence.

Hinata had shocked them all past the point of even comprehending his words.

"Ah! That's where I remember her name." Kageyama's voice thankfully broke the uncomfortable tension. "She was in one of the latest magazines."

"I think my mind just exploded." Ennoshita mumbled in a daze.

Sugawara thought his mind might burst as well. Ichijo-san was practically Ichijo-oujo.

"So she's the daughter of the famous volleyball players Ryuu Ichijo and Tatsu Akuryo," Narita contemplated that information carefully.

The Akuryos. One of the most powerful and influential families in the volleyball and political worlds. Truly, Ichijo-san was a princess.

"What about her dad's side?" Tsukishima asked, a hint of true curiosity seeping into his tone.

A flash of hesitation crossed Hinata's face. "She's very famous because of her dad's side too. But I don't think she'd appreciate me telling you it without her permission."

Sugawara smiled amiably. "Aside everything else, she seemed very nice."

Tanaka snorted skeptically. "Are you sure? She seemed disinterested and sleepy."

"That's how she always is," Hinata causally explained, munching on some snacks he'd brought along.

Whatever and whoever Ichijo-san was, Sugawara had a feeling that she was the unknown player, the one who was the most dangerous of them all.

The wild card.

* * *

That night, two people dreamed of the same thing. One was a blessed prize who was unconsciously waiting to be won. The other had a rare smile so bright and clear, it was clearer than the most transparent glass ever created. And the dream?

It was a dream where a young (grade school age) brother and sister, who clearly inherited their parent's looks, were playing volleyball. They were in a green meadow with cherry blossom tree petals were blowing all around, the sun was shining brightly, and the sky was so vast and blue. It was a perfect spring day, filled with the brother's cheerful laughs and the sister's warm smiles.

"Mom! Dad!" They shouted together in unison with pure delight shining on their faces.

And two adult figures emerged into view.

* * *

 **So sorry for taking forever to update this! But now I should have plenty of time to update more often! Thanks all again for those who read and reviewed!**


	7. An Unknown Omen is Sent

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **My deepest apologies for not getting this up sooner. My laziness put this on hold, as well as getting a new baby kitten. HE'S SO FLUFFY AND CUTE!**

 **Thank you to Jungkookies and Lady Syndra for telling me last chapter that I had posted the same one, thanks for saving the little reputation I have!**

 **Thanks to anyone who reviewed, favorited or even read my story, means a lot to us authors!**

 **Also, I'm having a hard time deciding if I want Eri to become the manager or if she should be around and like a manager but doesn't take on the official title of the role. I kind of want her to be unique and not become the manager while still interacting with the Seijoh boys. But in order for some character and plot development, she kind of needs to be the manager. Let me know what you guys think! Additionally, there's quite a bit of skipping around in this chapter, so if you forgot something, just scroll up. Happy reading!**

* * *

Eri yawned as she poured the food into her pet's food bowls. In addition, her

pets were all crowding around her and meowing or barking in either deepest appreciation or telling her to hurry up. She honestly didn't know which one, and she would probably never be able to tell either.

"Eri! Hurry up or Mizoguchi will leave you!" Yama-nii yelled from upstairs.

"YAMA STOP YELLING IT'S TOO EARLY!" Tatsu barked from also upstairs in her bedroom.

If there's one thing Eri's mom wasn't, it's that she isn't a morning person. At all. Now that Eri thought about it, her dad was the morning bird while her mother was the night owl. Eri personally was neither. She slept as long as she could.

Oh crap, her hair was an absolute mess and she still had to finish feeding her pets and clean out the litter boxes. She sighed, and her clothes were all wrinkled, hopefully she could escape fast enough so her mother wouldn't kill her. Her mother did hate it when they looked like they just woke up, which was Eri most of the time. Hearing someone come up behind her, Eri glanced to the side and felt someone start to gently brush her hair.

"Himi-chan?"

Himiko smiled warmly, continuing to brush Eri's silky ebony hair. "I know you're a little late today, so I'd thought I would help you."

 _Bless you Himi-chan! Please become my future sister-in-law!_

"Thanks."

Himiko hummed quietly, which usually humming got on Eri's nerves, but Himiko's humming was peaceful and soothing, perfect for a soft lullaby.

"Oh that reminds me," Himiko began softly. "Golden Week coming and doesn't the boys' volleyball club have a training camp at the school that makes them sleep over there?"

Eri did remember Mizoguchi and Kunimi telling her something about that.

* * *

" _Eri-chan," Mzoguchi called to her while the practice was wrapping up._

" _Yes?" She responded blankly._

" _The training camp is coming up in a few days, and you know how we usually sleep over here to make things easier?" Mizoguchi started slowly._

 _Ah. Eri believed she knew where this was going. She would have to heavily consider this._

" _You want me to sleep over as well to make transportation and cooking easier," Eri said bluntly, her eyes drooping lazily. "Despite the fact I'm not your manager and this isn't what I signed up for, and that I would be doing more than what my role entails."_

" _Well…Yeah."_

 _Eri sighed, she really would want to sleep in her own, fluffy warm bed without have to sleep with the ruckus of the team. It would just give her more unnecessary work._

" _I'm a horrible cook, you know," Eri said dully._

 _Mizoguchi ignored that part and continued on with trying to persuade Eri to stay with the team. "Then can you ask Oikawa-san if she can come help you?"_

 _A small, angry fire lit in Eri. Why did everyone seem to think Takara was going to give up her own sport to serve her arrogant brother's? Takara was busy, this Eri knew. She was going to Tokyo for the week long training camp there. It was for all the top elite Japanese male and female figure skaters to prepare them for the Winter Olympics next year. Eri wanted to support her friend the most she could. She wanted to help Takara achieve her dream of becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist, and she couldn't do that if Takara's pesky older brother kept pestering her about becoming the manager for the volleyball club._

" _No!" Eri blurted out a tad louder than she meant to. "Takara's busy, and we can't ask her to give up her dream to serve her brother's!"_

 _Mizoguchi didn't appear to be upset and smiled/smirked. "You're a good friend. Think about it."_

 _He walked away, leaving Eri to digest the strange conversation. Maybe she should, but didn't she want to finish that picture? Did she want to help others succeed at the cost of her own dream? Did that make her selfish? Heck, even some of the players (Oikawa, Matsukawa, Kindaichi, Hanamaki) came to beg that she attend the training camp with them. Oikawa even pulled the "it's our last year" card. Eri sighed again, her thoughts were jumbled and mixed together and it seemed they weren't going to stop anytime soon._

" _If you don't want to do it, then you don't have to, regardless of what others say," Kunimi's bored voice calmed Eri's tumbling thoughts._

" _What about you?" Eri asked curiously._

 _Why was she so interested in what Kunimi thought of her opinion?_

 _Kunimi shrugged tiredly. "Personally I'd like for you to come with us, but I'm not going to plead or pressure you. It's entirely your choice."_

" _And if I did go, what would you think?" Eri pushed even farther, testing the boundaries of comfort zones._

"… _I'd like it."_

* * *

"Are you going to go?" Himiko inquired, setting down the brush.

Eri pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Yeah. I think I will."

Himiko smiled softly. "Who changed your mind?"

Eri's heart thumped just a bit faster only once, although she didn't know why.

"What makes you think someone did?"

"I just know, now come on, and tell me!" Himiko giggled warmly and prodded Eri into telling.

"Kunimi did." Eri just put it out there.

No point in hiding it. Why would she even? A sudden thought, just a small one, but one Himiko might actually agree to.

"Could you and Yama-nii possibly come with me? I suck at cooking, and you're literally a gourmet cook." Eri requested blankly, with the tiniest, slightest tint of desperation.

Himiko tapped her lips with thought. "Perhaps. The Art Club isn't doing anything for Golden Week, which is a surprise. I'll ask Yama-kun later and then I'll talk to your cousin."

 _Score, I might be saved after all!_

Himiko handed Eri her school bag. "Have a good day."

Eri slept through morning practice and the first two classes of the day. It was great, and quite amusing to vaguely hear mostly everyone panic about the surprise math test tomorrow like a chicken with its head cut off. Eri knew she would be fine on that test. Takara… maybe not so much. Eri heard Takara screeching about how math sucked and she sucked and life was doomed, something like that at lunch. Also, Eri was a bit surprised Takara hadn't ranted furiously to her yet. Maybe it was too personal, Eri could respect that.

"Ne Kunimi, how do you feel about the math test?" Eri mumbled sleepily, her face burrowed in her jacket.

Said boy turned in his seat to face her. "I feel fine about it."

He had paused, and Eri heard something shifting around, probably in Kunimi's bag. With her face still smothered in her jacket, she felt a warm and strong yet also gentle hand grab her own hand and place a small plastic bag in it. Lifting her head a little bit, Eri found a small wrapped bag of delicious, mouthwatering, sugary sweet melon candies. Heaven was smiling down upon her today.

 _Is Kunimi trying to bribe me into doing something for him_? Eri thought with a slight bit of suspicion. _Well… knowing Kunimi probably not._

"What's this for?" Eri asked, a trace of curiousness and her voice not completely devoid of emotion for once.

"For attending the practice match when clearly all you wanted to do was go home and sleep." Kunimi replied, giving her a small smile. "And to thank you for staying at our practices even when you were forced."

For once, Eri didn't speak from astonishment and shock.

 _He bought those for me…..because of that? He could see through everything and he knew what I was feeling_?

"How?" Eri breathed almost inaudibly.

"Takara oh so pleasantly informed of your favorite candy," Kunimi sighed, rolling his eyes with dry sarcasm.

It wasn't the answer Eri was looking for, but she kept her mouth closed and never spoke a word about it. It wasn't until after she was married with a young boy and girl that she sought him out and told him what she was really thinking that day. Many years later would she finally reveal her real thoughts from that day.

That one day from high school youth.

How time can fly.

* * *

 **The night before…..**

Kunimi hoped he did this right. Yes he wanted to thank her, and get to know her better. Because in all honesty, he wanted to be her friend. Despite the fact that he knew Eri merely saw him as a classmate, acquaintance and chess pawn, he wanted to be her friend. Thank goodness Takara knew what her favorite candy was. As he scanned over the different bags and brands of melon candy, he also subconsciously thought how much Kageyama had changed over the time Kunimi hadn't seen him. If the King could actually learn how to be a team player, he would become fiercer than ever. Kunimi shuddered lightly, now that was an image he didn't want to imagine at the current moment.

Or an even angrier Mizoguchi. Could Mizoguchi even get any more terrifying? Kunimi pleaded that that would never ever happen, and that he wasn't even going to try to see.

"Are you looking for melon candies?" A sweet voice politely asked.

Kunimi turned sharply, seeing a girl about 172 cm (5'6) with light green eyes and long coppery hair. She was much taller than the average Japanese girl, and Kunimi suspected she was a foreigner. Yet she wore the Aoba Johsai Girl's uniform, which led Kunimi to several conclusions.

She was an exchange student

She moved here with her family from another country.

She was an extremely good con artist

She was a haifu.

"The Terakoto brand is personally my favorite, they have the right balance of sweet to fruity," the girl smiled amiably.

Kunimi blinked. "You're Slavic."

The girl's smile faltered for just a moment before turning softer and even more kind, as if that was possible. "I am. Was it my accent?"

"Yes."

"I'm Polish to be exact." She bowed politely in greeting. "Tanya Oikawa, class 2-6 at Aoba Johsai and you're Kunimi Akira, class 1-6 and part of the Volleyball Club at Seijoh."

Kunimi's voice caught in his throat painfully, almost choking on saliva. "OIKAWA?"

 _How many siblings does Senpai have?_ _It's also just a tad creepy she knows that much about me. Although if she's Oikawa-san' and Oikawa-senpai's sister, she's probably heard about all the members at some point._

"My parents were Polish and moved here when I was 9. They died in a plane accident when I was 11, and since the Oikawas were good friends of ours, they adopted me," Larsaw-Oikawa-san explained briefly.

Kunimi's eyes narrowed a little bit. "And why are you telling me this?"

Strangely, Larsaw-Oikawa-san's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Oh, you'll see me around, and I'd appreciate it if someone here knew I wasn't a haifu. Who's the girl you're buying the candy for?"

A queer, heated feeling prickled at the back of Kunimi's neck. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. "What makes you think it was for a girl?"

She laughed, her laugh sounding like twinkling stars. "A girl's intuition. Call me Tanya to make things easier. Now go on, who is it?"

Kunimi didn't really appreciate how he was being bossed around by a total stranger, even if it was Senpai's younger sister. However, no matter what, it was another senpai who was addressing him, so he reminded himself to always remember that. "A classmate of mine. Ichijo Eri."

"Ah Ichijo-san." Tanya-san nodded in recognition. "The famed Dead Girl Walking."

For some reason, a sudden wave of muted anger and annoyance surged through Kunimi. "Dead Girl Walking?!" He echoed in disbelief.

She nodded again. "Oh believe me, I hate the nickname too. They call her that because she never smiles and has no emotions."

An indignant fire lit inside of Kunimi. "But she does! She gets annoyed when others ruin her naps, and her eyes light up with delight whenever lunch rolls around. And you can tell during class she's never really sleeping, just half sleep and listening at the same time. During practice, she can get really focused and can creepily spot every little detail. She's also crazily awesome at fixing a problem and finding a way to counter another team to beat them. For some reason, she also gets a bit dejected whenever Takara mentions the word friend…"

Tanya-san giggled, interrupting him. "You've paid an awful lot of attention to her. Are you sure you're just classmates?"

The unfamiliar prickling feeling returned. He didn't like it at all. "…Yeah. Just classmates."

Tanya-san chuckled in a friendly yet also creepy way. The "only really? You'll change your mind, I'll make sure of it" creepy way. "OK. Be careful in picking the right type of melon candies, I'll see you around!"

And with that, the Polish girl skipped out of the store down the streets. Kunimi felt unsettled, freaked out and a sudden clarity of what to buy. He couldn't place a word on it, but he had a distant feeling that Tanya-san would be popping in the volleyball club's lives a lot more often now. With a strike of recollection, Kunimi snapped open his phone and texted Oikawa-san from pure curiosity.

Kunimi: How many siblings do you have?

Oikawa-san: Um…. Why?"

Kunimi: I just met your eccentric older sister.

Oikawa-san: I'm assuming you mean Tanya.

Kunimi: Yes her. How many siblings do you have?

Oikawa-san: Let's see, there's me, then Tanya who's a second year. Tooru-nii is a third year, and then there's my older sister Takako Watanabe, who's 28. Her son Takeru is 8, and she's married to Riku, who's 29. I think that's it. So three siblings, one sibling in law and one nephew. Ah wait! I can't believe I forgot about my younger brother Araki, he's 7. 

Kunimi: ….That's a lot.

Oikawa-san: How many siblings do you have then?

Kunimi: Amarante my younger sister who's 11. Aika my younger sister who's 10. My sisters Ayame and Amaya, they're 7, and my littlest sister Azami who's 5.

Oikawa-san: …DAMN. And you have the nerve to say I have a lot of siblings?

Kunimi: If you're going to critize me then I'll just go.

Oikawa-san: Ok fineeeeeee. By the way, did you get the candies?

Kunimi: I did. Oyasumi.

Oikawa-san: Oyasumi.

And the said boy made his way home.

What he didn't know was that Takara was giggling and scheming and cooking up a plan that would ensure plenty of entertainment for her and Tanya. It also meant embarrassment, but he didn't know that.

Not just yet.

* * *

As Eri continued to watch the boys practice, an unfamiliar feeling crept into her heart. A sort of warm, cheerful emotion whenever she glanced at the bag of wrapped melon candies in her hand. She didn't know what it was, nor was she going to ask anyone.

 _I'm sure it'll breeze over in no time. It's nothing._

Eri quickly scribbled down a few notes on how to possibly combat Johzenji during the Inter-High. What a disorganized team. She remembered going to one of their practices, and remembering the spontaneous moves half of them did. She almost lost her life there from all the crazy balls flying everywhere.

 _But maybe that's good for them. It'll certainly throw off most teams, unless the teams are like Nekoma or us_.

"Eri-chan, how do you think the Inter-High will fare?" Irihata-san asked her suddenly, trying to get a gauge on the team's current standings.

Eri's head lifted up, pausing in her writing. "I think we're a very good team. However, if only the third years could forget but not forget the squabbling with Shiratorizawa then we'd probably go far."

Mizoguchi leaned in and peered at her in question. "Forget but not?"

Eri nodded. "Forget the pettiness because that will cloud their judgement and game senses. But also don't forget the loss and struggles they've experienced with Wakatoshi-kun to fuel the passion of rising to the top."

Irihata laughed jollily. "Have you ever considered becoming a teacher or therapist? You'd be amazing."

Eri's stare was as blank and emotionless as ever. "I yearn to become a manga artist and writer. Nothing will change that." Even with her voice practically sounding completely empty of any emotions, all of the people in the gym heard the unspoken passion behind her words.

 _But that doesn't mean I won't ever take up a side job. I do like the idea of becoming a teacher or therapist one day possibly. Maybe even a social worker. Probably a children's therapist or_ _psychologist. I would want to help kids who can't help themselves. Maybe it's because I want every kid to grow up in a loving home like I have, and I want to help them flourish and thrive._

Hanamaki jogged over to them, a volleyball in his hands.

"Mizoguchi-sensei, there's a girl outside the doors, she wants to speak to you." Hanamaki informed quickly.

From that one sentence, Eri had a feeling in the pit of her stomach who that girl was.

Mizoguchi raised an eyebrow. "And did this girl say who she was?"

"Toyosaki Himiko."

A spark of friendly recognition glinted in Mizoguchi's eyes. "I'm coming."

Himiko opened the door, and Mizoguchi stepped outside with her, and Eri snagged a quick glance that Yama was also with her. Hanamaki looked at Irihata and Eri expectantly.

"Yes I know what they're talking about, stop being so nosy and get back to practice!" Irihata raised his voice on that last part, directing it at the players who had paused in their activities to eavesdrop.

With a jolt, everyone hastily resumed practice, balls back into the air.

"Eri-chan, can you watch their serving practice, I'm going to join Mizoguchi," Irihata requested, already starting to walk

Eri nodded reluctantly then sluggishly trudged over to the courts with saggy shoulders and a demeanor that radiated sleepiness. Since her experience with Oikawa from several weeks ago, she made sure to walk a good 2 meters away from the edge of the court line. However, Oikawa yet again hit a serve that flew right towards her, and his aim was entirely off, the ball soaring way out of bounds.

"ICHIJO-SAN!"

Eri already knew it was too late to dodge the rapidly incoming so she quickly covered her face and shut her eyes, trying to save her head.

The ball never hit her.

Opening her eyes, she saw that Iwaizumi had intercepted the ball and executed a brilliant receive, and also saved her dull face.

 _Oh well. It's not like my face is pretty anyway, so I wouldn't have minded if the ball rearranged my face that much._

"You dumbass! You could have hit and seriously hurt her, again, because of your over practicing!" Iwaizumi bellowed furiously, eyes flashing murderously. "Your control was off because you've exhausted your body from the serving! Take a break when you know you need it Shittykawa!"

"Ichijo-chan I'm so sorry!" Oikawa-senpai gibbered, falling on his face in front of Eri in an over dramatic bow.

Eri wasn't moved or impressed at all. "Your knee is hurting again, isn't it?" She asked bluntly.

Oikawa flinched while Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa fiercely glared daggers at their captain.

 _I wonder how many times they've berated him on not over practicing._

"There's a physical therapist I know who deals with a lot of high school athletes." Eri said sternly. "If you don't go see her, I'll drag you there myself."

"How are you going to drag me anywhere?" Oikawa exclaimed in disbelief. "You're tiny!"

On Eri's blank face, a challenging look appeared in her eyes. "I can assume I have three eager volunteers to help me drag your sorry ass to the physical therapist's office." At this she gave a pointed glance to the other three third years.

Said boys sent a devious and smug grin to Eri in return. Oikawa slumped in defeat.

"Fine. I know when I've lost a battle." He sighed in mock gloominess.

Eri quickly scribbled down a name, address and phone number for Oikawa. "Here."

Oikawa scanned his eyes over the paper, his eyes widening over the name of the physical therapist. "MIZOGUCHI Takeko?"

Yahaba snatched the paper away to see it for himself. "Mizoguchi-sensei is married?"

Kindaichi smirked at his dear friend Kunimi. "Wonder if she's as terrifying as her husband?"

Kunimi scowled at Kindaichi sourly, not appreciating the comment.

Eri shook her head, already regretting this idea. She should have written the name of a different physical therapist she knew, it certainly would have avoided all the questions.

 _I thought they knew he was married. Too late now. Hope he won't be too upset with me._

"She's as nice as she can be," Eri stated plainly. "Did you think she was a demon woman or something?"

"Did…Did you just make a joke?" Hanamaki gasped in shock.

Eri's eye twitched. "If you thought that was a joke, you're mistaken, and clearly you need to work on your own."

Matsukawa snickered, and Hanamaki, who was standing next to the ball cart, scooped one up and chunked it at Matsukawa.

"I've become temporarily deaf and blind so I haven't seen or heard anything that I would have to report back to the coaches," Eri said simply. "So technically you could rest until the coaches return."

But then she made all practice their serves, correcting their form and techniques. In reality she was never going to let them get away with slacking. It just wasn't in her blood.

"Kindaichi, remember when receiving a jump floater, you use an overhand pass," Eri said after he had failed to receive three balls in a row successfully.

He nodded and when the next one came, using an overhand pass, Kindaichi flawlessly performed an amazing receive.

"You sure do help Kindaichi a lot," Watari noted, no malice in his intent at all.

"He is a big baby after all," Eri murmured softly.

Unfortunately for the boy, Kindaichi's ego and self-esteem just deflated by a few miles and Kunimi patted him on the back. Eri also patted him on the head, in a sort of joking way, something that surprised her and the team.

 _Why am I like this all of a sudden…?_

"Oh Eri, what have you decided for the training camp?" Kunimi asked her randomly as she stood on the sidelines watching the blocking practice.

Eri hesitated before answering. "….I'm going."

Unlike most, Kunimi just cracked a small smile. "Sounds cool."

It was simple, plain, and the way they both liked it. No extra drama, it wasn't loud or tiring, and that's the way they preferred it. Mutual understanding passed between the two.

"Hey, hey, hey! Is this what I think I heard? Eri's coming with us to the camp?" Oikawa annoyingly trilled, sliding over to them like an ice skater.

Poof. Bye bye peaceful silence. When the saying 'silence is golden' disappear?

"Seriously!" Yahaba and most of the others looked like summer vacation had come early.

"Yay! Eri's coming with us to training camp!" Hanamaki and Matsukawa high-fived in triumph, gleeful grins on their faces.

Eri heard Kunimi sigh tiredly and exasperatedly next to her, and she personally agreed with him. It wasn't that much of a fuss was it?

 _It's just a training camp. Nothing more. I'm not about to become their manager or anything. Just helping them in the training camp_. Eri blinked in an owl-like manner watching half of the club erupt into joyful cheers and shouts. _But why does it feel like I want to help them in their dream to crush Shiratorizawa and blow Nationals to dust so badly? What's changing inside of me_?

The noise was starting to bother her. She rubbed her arm unconsciously.

"Stop acting like drunk monkeys, she doesn't like loud, obnoxious noise," Kunimi lazily drawled out.

Eri's eyes locked onto him.

 _How is he able to see right through my ghostly mask?_

"So sorry Ichijo-chan!" Oikawa yelped, giving her an apologetic peace sign with his fingers.

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Iwaizumi suddenly spoke up.

Eri was just surprised he didn't stop the ruckus before, it seemed unlike him. But she couldn't control the actions of others. As if they heard Iwaizumi, Irihata, Mizoguchi, Himiko and Yama entered back into the gym. At the sight of both Yama and Himiko, Oikawa tensed dramatically before throwing an accusing finger at Yama.

"You! What is Aoba Johsai's Beauty King doing here?" Oikawa all but shrieked comically.

Yama halted in his tracks and gave Oikawa a withering glance. "I can walk where I please, Oikawa."

"This is my territory! You can't trespass here!" Oikawa vehemently protested. "You've already stolen half of my fangirls, don't go stealing my territory either!"

Yama sweat dropped. "You can have them back for all I care…."

Oikawa sniffed pompously, while Mizoguchi face palmed.

"Don't act high and mighty! I know you secretly love them!"

By this time, Yama had gotted fed up with Oikawa, as did Eri and Iwaizumi and Irihata and the majority of the team. His body was slumped and disinterested, his eyes dull.

"I have a girlfriend, so why would I want fangirls?" Yama huffed exasperatedly. "At least I've managed to keep mine while still staying dedicated to my club activities."

Himiko smacked Yama's arm lightly. "Don't be rude, both of you," she added, giving Oikawa a narrowed look. "You'll be seeing us all Golden Week, so you two better behave."

"Aoba Johsai's Rising Sun Queen just told off Oikawa-senpai," Yahaba whispered, a faint tint of blushing red on his cheeks.

 _Honestly, the nicknames kids give to each other, they're kind of ridiculous. And does Yahaba have a little crush on my hopefully future sister in law? This won't do at all. Oikawa-senpai is so petty sometimes, is he really a third year?_

"Oh, so it's final that you're helping me during Golden Week," Eri spoke up, attempting to stall practice and finish it early.

Yama nodded cheerfully, now that he wasn't talking to Oikawa anymore. Slinging an arm over Eri, he casually called over to Mizoguchi. "I don't have any club duties tonight, so I can take her home tonight."

 _Yama, as much as I love you, do you know wrong that just sounded, especially since we don't look anything alike._

Their cousin gave them the finger of approval.

"You can't take our lovely Ichijo-san to! Don't you already have a girlfriend?" Oikawa snipped uselessly. "Are you cheating on her? Ichijo-san is ours!"

"I'm (she's) not ours," Eri and Kunimi grumbled in unison.

 _And haven't you ever heard Yama's last name?_

Yama lifted an eyebrow. "I'll be taking my sister home now, thanks." He even grabbed Eri's stuff for her on the way out of the door.

Eri loved her brother so much.

"You don't look anything alike," Iwaizumi commented, and he was perfectly right and polite about it.

"I got mom's genes, she got dad's," Yama explained simply.

Eri waved briefly goodbye, mostly to Iwaizumi and Kunimi, before disappearing out the door with her brother and Himiko. Right before she left, she turned around, her ebony hair swishing around her like a silk ribbon fluttering in the gentle breeze.

"Thanks Kunimi-kun, for the melon cnadies."

There was a warm, bubbling feeling in the bottom of her heart, one she got now whenever she was attending their practices with them and was with them. What was it?

* * *

Kunimi didn't know she had a brother. Or that now officially he had been upgraded to –kun.

As he and Kindaichi were walking home together, Kunimi's thoughts were swirling and pondering the possibiltes.

"Are you happy you've been upgraded by Ichijo-san?" Kindaichi's voice tore the blissful silence that was previously veiling Kunimi's world.

He didn't know why, but somehow, he was compelled to say the truth. "Yeah. I am."

Kindaichi smiled. "You're in deep."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Kindaichi sighed, gazing up into the beautiful starry night. "I have a feeling something is going to happen, and that last night's sudden shooting star sent us an omen."

 _Oh….that reminds me._

"I had a weird dream last night." Kunimi randomly murmured, also looking up into the twinkling heavens. "There were two children, the older one, a boy with black hair and dull brown eyes, and the younger was a girl with dark brown hair and blue-green eyes. They were playing volleyball in a meadow during the springtime." Kunimi smiled softly, as if the children were his own. "They were so happy. The air was full of laughter and cheer. They turned around and called out to their mom and dad. And then two adult figures emerged with their backs turned to the sunlight, casting shadows on the parents."

Silence.

"Well, what happened next?" Kindaichi demanded, heavily intrigued by the dream Kunimi claimed he had.

"I woke up."

Kindaichi sighed in deep disappointment. "So anticlimactic."

Kunimi once again gazed up at the sparkling lights in the murky sky. "Perhaps."

* * *

Ichijo Ryuu was the last one up, sitting at the table trying to finish up some things before he retired to bed. He yawned, it was already almost 1 am. Just as he was about to retreat to the safety of his bed, his phone quietly rang.

His eyes widened at the caller.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Ryuu."

"Yes?"

"I have an interesting proposition for Eri-chan."

"…..What is it?"

And Ryuu was informed the fine details, and his eyes widened even further.

"Father, you can't be serious!"

* * *

 **So now you know one of the two who dreamed that dream from the last chapter. You've also met Oikawa/Larsaw Tanya. She's not exactly a really important character, but one who's with them the entire ride. So she'll be more of that character who helps for the other character's development.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	8. First Day of Work, hopefully last day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **How many of you caught my Heathers reference? I enthusiastically applaud Jungkookies/Spike that Ass because they caught it! If you can figure out where it was and what it was, you'll get virtual cookies! My personal favorite type of cookies are white macadamia cookies. Also I apologize for not updating in forever, this was due to my summer being incredibly busy and my own laziness. Also I rewrote this a few times which didn't make it come out any sooner. Hope you enjoy it, thanks to all who followed, favorited and read this story so far! And thanks for being so patient. Also, there will be a character mentioned from another anime/manga series, but since this story technically isn't a crossover, I was debating on whether I should actually put him in or not. In the end, I decided yes, and the character will all be explained in the chapter. It's necessary for the plot. SO bear with me please!**

* * *

Eri woke up early Monday, ready for Golden Week. In truth, the only reason she was up on her own without her brother tackling her awake was that her cats beat her brother to the task. Poor Eri awoke to the sounds of mournful meowing and several batting paws and licking tongues in her face. Not exactly the first thing she wanted to wake up too.

"One of these days, I will not feed you for a day and then we'll see how much you'll appreciate me then," Eri grumbled to herself, hauling her dead body out of her warm, comfy, fluffy bed.

All the while, her cats and dogs circled around her ankles, eagerly anticipating the food they knew was coming.

"You'd give in under the pressure and constant mewling in less than 15 minutes if you did that," Yama snickered, trailing behind her down the stairs.

Oh how Eri hated how right her brother was. Downstairs, their mother was frantically making breakfast while making sure the bentos she had packed were efficient enough. Himiko was already awake and was preparing large lunches for that day for the Boys' Volleyball Club in advance. Ryuu was doing absolutely nothing to help as he watched in amusement at the table.

"Ah good, you two are up!" Tatsu said happily, having whipping around and spotted the two of them. "Yama, brush your hair, it's a horrid mess. Eri, feed the cats and dogs, they look like starving beggars."

"Even though they're the complete opposite of starving beggars," Himiko giggled good-naturedly.

"That's quite true," Ryuu agreed, typing away on his computer.

Eri huffed, pouring the much desired food into the cats' and dogs' respective bowls, and leapt back when the animals practically dove head first at the food bowls.

"Gluttons," Eir mumbled, but couldn't help loving her pets.

"Eri, do you have everything you need for the week packed?" Tatsu hastily asked. "You two, Yama and Himiko-chan."

All three minors in the kitchen nodded, Eri herself believed it necessary to actually go get dressed. Despite how much she knew Mizoguchi and Irihata adored her (she knew she had them wrapped around her finger), she didn't deem it appropriate to show up in her sleepwear. With great effort, she actually managed to drag herself upstairs and throw on clothes for the day. She was already regretting the choice to spend her Golden Week at the Gymnasium full of sweaty boys and working, instead of finishing that original manga strip she was working on. And sleeping, definitely needed to catch up on that.

 _Plus Takara isn't going to be there either, she'll be at that Elite Training Camp in Tokyo for all the Top Elite Ice Skaters. Lucky her._

"Eri! Hurry up or you'll be late when Mizoguchi comes, you're lucky he offered to drive you all there!" Tatsu's screeching bounced off the walls and into Eri's room.

"Geez Mom! Stop panicking and shrieking like a madwoman!" Yama shouted back, which did not make things any better in Eri's opinion.

 _Not that my opinion really matters anyway…_

"Yama! Stop standing around and being sassy and get ready!"

"I am ready Kaa-san…"

"Then do the former!"

"What time did you get up Mom?"

Eri hurried down the stairs Eri style (which means she sluggishly walked), and grabbed her bag, checking to make sure she had all the notebooks she needed. Himiko slithered up next to her, with a brush in hand and a coy smile perched on her lips. Of course, Eri should have known she couldn't escape, her own hair was practically a bird nest of tangles.

"Hold still, Eri-chan!" Himiko sang overly sweetly, already tugging at Eri's extremely messy hair.

Eri did her absolute best not to bolt back to the safety of her room during the whole ordeal. Finally, after literally half of her hair was stuck in the treacherous brush's teeth, Himiko declared Eri's hair smooth, soft and silky, or basically presentable enough.

Tatsu briefly scanned over her two children's and Himiko's appearance before giving her approval. "Ok, get out of the house and I'll see you three in a week! Love you all!"

Eri deadpanned at her mother's usual antics. "Do you love us or do you want us gone…?"

After hugging them all in a rush, Tatsu practically shoved them all out the door, Ryuu waving from behind. "Have funnnnnn!"

As the threesome sat by the side of the road, waiting for Mizoguchi's car to arrive, Eri sighed, and it was just the beginning of the Woes of Eri.

"... Mom does realize that one, it's about to rain, two, she's locked us out, and three, Mizoguchi isn't supposed to get here for another 15 minutes, right?" Yama finished weakly.

"Oh joy," Himiko muttered darkly under her breath, glancing up at the growing darker and darker sky on an impulse.

Mizoguchi found it quite strange that his cousins and his hopeful future cousin in law were just sitting outside in the frigid, pouring rain when he pulled up next to the Ichijo Residence 15 minutes later.

"Should I ask?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow and a bemused expression.

"Shut up and let me in, it's freezing, I'm wet and I want to return to my slumber," Eri demanded while opening the car door, and promptly collapsed in the back seat, dead asleep.

Himiko sweat-dropped as she attempted to move Eri's dead body over enough to give herself some room. After a minute or two, she finally succeeded and crammed herself along with Eri, who was taking 90% of the space, into the backseat.

"Let's get this week over with," Yama mumbled, who, like Eri, was already regretting this decision.

* * *

As Tatsu observed her children drive away with her nephew, she sighed in relief. At least now they wouldn't have to witness everything _. Especially Eri, that girl is one of the sharpest people I've ever met, how I've kept my secrets while raising her is a mystery to me indeed._

"How much longer?" Tatsu asked, turning to her husband.

The man in question sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead while looking at his computer. "I'd guess 10 more minutes."

The door knocked.

A halfhearted smile reached Tatsu's lips. "You guessed wrong."

Calmly, with the grace and patience she had, Tatsu inhaled a long breath before opening the door. "Welcome, please came yourself comfortable."

Two elderly men dressed in traditional yukatas greeted her on the other side of the door.

The younger man smiled amiably. "Now, now Tatsu-san, don't be so formal with us! After all, we are your brother and father in law!"

Ryuu snicker, standing up from his spot at the table. "Looking your age there, Issei-kun!"

Ichijo Issei huffed good naturedly. "Well not everyone can be 58 years old and look 35. Or," glancing at Tatsu, he added "be 56 and appear 34."

"And not everyone can be 61 and look 80," Ryuu cackled, his childish personality coming loose a bit.

The eldest man, Ichijo Goji, stared sternly at his "bickering" sons. "That's enough!" He barked, making his sons freeze.

 _NO matter how old they are, they still freeze when their 87 year old father yells at them_ , Tatsu found that very amusing every time.

The Ichijo patriarch's cold glare gestured to the table. "We are here to discuss very important business, not a family reunion. Now sit."

And quickly, the three other adults hastily sat themselves at the table.

 _I'm forgetting something…_

Goji harshly glanced at Tatsu. "Are you going to be a proper hostess and serve us some refreshments?"

Tatsu gritted her teeth, managing to stay calm on her exterior. "I would have thought you would have wanted me here."

"We do Tat-" Ryuu and Issei began, but Goji beat them to it.

"You are the wife, it is your reasonability to serve the husband and his company while they discuss real business." Goji arched his brow. "Is it not?"

 _I forgot how infuriatingly traditional Ryuu's dad is._

Tatsu stood up abruptly, an icy gleam in her eyes. "Very well, I will prepare some tea." She hissed coldly and stormed into the kitchen _. Ugh, Goji-san is so annoying! Let go of your stupid 'traditional ideas' because we're in modern Japan! It isn't 1492 anymore. Sure, it's my fault as a hostess, but that last comment made my blood boil._ Tatsu furiously rambled mentally as she prepared green tea and some cookies she had bought cheaply at a convenience store, but no one had to know that. After about 10 minutes, she brought the drinks and refreshments to the table, where both of the sons of Goji appeared very vexed and stressed out.

Tatsu raised her brow skeptically at her husband. "Which clan is it this time? Port Mafia? The Phantomhive Company? Aoigiri? Heck, I thought you had the Beehive Gang under control, Issei."

"The Jūnikyūkirā Clan," Issei informed tiredly.

Tatsu furrowed her brow worriedly. "They're in Sendai. What are they doing acting up?"

"I do not know, but as the Head of the Shuei-Gumi Clan, I'm supposed to find out," Issei sighed, slumping a bit.

"Which is why I propose an alliance with them," Goji cut in, rather rudely and glared at his oldest son.

"I would have thought the alliance between Raku-kun," Ryuu stated, referring to Issei's son, "and Kirisaki-san of the Beehive Gang would be enough to make the Jūnikyūkirā Clan cease their tantrum."

Tatsu snorted, handing everyone a cup of tea. "Obviously not. I could always go smooth out things with them, my name is still very much feared."

Goji's stern and cold face never changed throughout the whole meeting. "No. That won't be a lasting solution. What a terrible idea."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Ryuu asked in exasperation, tired from dealing with this.

 _This is not how I wanted my day to go, at all_ , Tatsu was already mentally exhausted.

Oh, the woes of being a parent.

"Use the Dragon Princess Treasure."

* * *

Kunimi officially believed Kindaichi was an idiot.

"And I asked her out but she called me creepy and told me to never speak to her again!" Kindaichi wailed pathetically for the three hundredth time.

"Considering you literally stalked all Nagachaka-san the way to the park, yelled for everyone to hear within a 20 kilometer radius for her to go out with you, and probably freaked her out to death, it's not hard to figure why she turned you down," Kunimi said in a monotone, not at all feeling sympathetic for his friend.

"Kunimi! You're supposed to say 'Don't mind' to me!"

"Was I supposed to congratulate on your complete stupidity?"

"KUNIMI!"

A sudden drop of something wet and cold plopped onto his head, and he did not appreciate that. Another drop, then another, and another. Crap, it was raining, wasn't it?

"Rain! We're going to get soaked!" Kindaichi screeched, clutching his bag closer to him as if he was protecting it already from the rain.

 _Just my luck_.

Hearing a car driving up along the road, Kunimi quickly shuffled to the other side of Kindaichi. So if the car splashed any type of dirty water onto them, the majority would soak Kindaichi. Wasn't Kunimi such a great friend?

Surprisingly, the car stopped next to them, and the window rolled down, revealing Mizoguchi-sensei and a second year whom Kunimi recalled as Eri-san's older brother. (And Oikawa-senpai's greatest enemy when it came to looks and female popularity)

"I don't often do this, but I'll give you a lift so you two won't be dripping with water at practice," Mizoguchi said in his "coach" voice. "Get in the back with Eri-chan and Toyosaki-chan."

" _I'll_ get in the back with them and Eri, Himiko can ride in the front," Yama hastily interjected, switching seats with Aoba Johsai's Rising Sun Queen (what a ridiculous nickname) and throwing Kindaichi and him a skeptical glance.

 _I'm sorry for whatever we did to you, sir_ , Kunimi briefly thought.

Getting inside before Kindaichi, Kunimi quickly realized that Eri-san was asleep AND taking up most of the space, leaving very little room for him and his teammate. And he was still outside in the pouring rain. Not his ideal start to Golden Week.

"Hurry up and don't get my car wet!" Mizoguchi-sensei barked, and Kunimi quickly squeezed up with Kindaichi crumpling himself into a tiny ball.

"Kunimi, scoot over some, I'm really painfully pressed against the door!" Kindaichi hissed quietly.

"You dolt!" Kunimi retorted snappily. "Does it look like I have any room either!"

"None of us have room!" Yama screeched, not at all pleased at the current circumstances.

"Ichijo-senpai! Move your dang sister!"

"I dare you to say that again!"

"Then please move Eri-san over just a bit."

"Don't call my sister by her first name!"

"She told me I could."

"JUST MOVE HER!"

"DON'T YELL AT ME, YOU STUPID BRAT!"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME STUPID?"

"After hearing your horribly confession to Nagachaka-san earlier, I quite agree with Ichijo-san."

"GAHHH KUNIMI!"

And somehow Eri never woke up in all the commotion and endless bickering.

Up in the front, Himiko glanced at Mizoguchi worriedly. "What happens if they kill each other back there?"

"Then we'll bury the bodies and just tell Irihata that they took a vacation and we had to take a detour." What a simple yet stupid response.

"Ano Sadayuki-kun, I don't think Irihata-sensei will believe that…" Himiko said, slightly laughing and concerning over whether she had to start planning funerals or not.

* * *

Eri was awoken by Yama's poking, and she nearly growled and kicked him away, but managed to compose herself and give her standard neutral stare.

"I'm assuming we're here," Eri stated, knowing the very obvious.

"Then your assumption is correct," she heard Kunimi's voice from outside the car.

Eri quickly slid out of the car and grabbed her bags, ready to unfortunately face the terrors of the volleyball team. Upon entering, she noticed they were the last few to arrive. Irihata sent one of those grandfatherly smiles to Eri, her brother and Himiko while giving his team members a sterner smile. Unlucky for them. Everyone glanced at the six who just entered, especially the two they didn't really recognize except from the hallways and rumors.

"Everyone, line up!" Mizoguchi barked, which made all the players literally drop everything and run to form a line parallel to the three non-volleyball players.

Once everyone was assembled, Irihata his throat.

"These are this week's assisstants in cleaning and cooking, please welcome them and they're in your care."

"Ichijo Yama, class 2-4," Yama recited perfectly while bowing.

"Toyosaki Himiko, class 2-5."

"Ichijo Eri, class 2-6."

"Please take care of us!" The three said in absolute harmony and synchronization and bowed politely.

"PLEASE TAKE CARE OF US!" The team yelled back in response.

At least now all the formal introductions were complete. Yama and Himiko snatched up Eri's other bag for her and headed to what Eri assumed the kitchens and sleeping areas. Eri on the other had the delightful job of watching and actually doing work, called "coaching".

 _I want to quit this job, mostly because I'm not getting paid for it_ , Eri mentally grumbled. Yet every time she thought of ditching and leaving, she thought of how Kunimi-kun might get disappointed. _Why am I caring of his opinion_?

After a good hour of watching the team practice receiving and blocking drills, Eri was ready to hit the snooze button. Right as she was about to collapse onto the bench and pass out like normal, Mizoguchi elbowed her in the side, effectively reawaking her.

"Go help them on their spiking drills, I'm sure you can further improve them," Mizoguchi requested. "I'm going to speak with Irihata about the starting positons and members."

 _I heard that lying undertone_. Yet Eri stood up (very relunctantly) and made her way over to the team, who were taking a short water break after a few minutes of spiking practice. She had already seen a few problems, mainly with Yahaba. _I can tell he doesn't spike too much, mostly sticking to the setter and middle blocker positons. Yet he's part of Aoba Johsai, and we have very high standards if you want to be part of this team._ Eri halted in her tracks, a wave of confusion washing over her. _When did I start think of myself as being part of the team?_

"Eri-san, you look confused." Kunimi's voice broke her thoughts.

She raised an eyebrow just slightly. "I was under the impression that I always look sleepy and bored."

"You frown just a little bit when you're confused," Kunimi nonchalantly explained, standing next to her.

It scared Eri much more than she was willing to admit.

"By the way, I was thinking of scouting some more this week, do you want to skip again?" Eri offered, knowing she and Kunimi shared a mutual hate of doing more than necessary work, and that usually came with Golden Week.

Kunimi pondered her suggestion only for a moment. "Please find a way, I'm already dead tired and it's not even time for lunch."

Eri was almost tempted to crack a tiny smile. Almost.

But she doesn't smile.

She doesn't deserve too.

"I'll see. I was thinking either Karasuno or Dateko, they're our two biggest wild cards this year," Eri said thoughtfully, half to herself and half to Kunimi.

Kunimi gave her a dulled surprised look. "Karasuno? You remember how sloppy their defense and coordination was."

Eri lightly narrowed her eyes, still remembering Kunimi was only a knight in this game. "Never underestimate an opponent. While Karasuno was weak, they are crows, continuously feeding to satisfy their never ending hunger. They'll grow faster than you'll be able to bury their corpses."

A moment of silence from the human beside her, his eyes wider than normal. "I forgot you could create some creepy metaphors and analogies."

Eri opened her mouth to respond, but a certain player named Matsukawa interrupted her oh so rudely.

"Kunimi! Stop slacking! Iwaizumi wants to get back at cracking on those spiking drills!"

Eri could literally feel the life and energy drain out of Kunimi faster than she could really comprehend.

"I'll suffer with you," Eri muttered dryly, already walking over.

Flipping her notebook open, Eri began reviewing the problems she had been observing. "Oikawa-senpai, jumping just a tad too early. Iwaizumi-senpai, don't use your wrist while spiking, use the palm of your hand. Matsukawa-senpai, more force. Hanamaki-senpai, aim please. Watari-senpai, you're fine because you don't attack using offense. Yahaba-senpai, you look like a drunk pelican in the air, fix your horrendous form. Kindaichi, push off more with toes, not your ankle, and stop hesitating. Kunimi, don't jump so very close to net in your approach, you'll end getting a net penalty. Yuda-senpai, put more power into your spike, I could hit harder than you and I've never played volleyball for more than 10 minutes." Eri paused on that thought. "Scratch that, I really suck at volleyball. Sawauchi-senpai, put actual effort in. Shido-senpai, don't focus on if the ball will come to you, just trust the setter." Snapping her notebook closed, Eri glanced up from where she was reading her notes, her eyes serious. "Did I miss anything?"

Internally, she deadpanned. Only Kunimi and Iwaizumi appeared as if life hadn't just been drained from their bodies.

"I feel kind of pathetic after hearing that." Hanamaki muttered dejectedly.

Suddenly, clapping his hands, Iwaizumi gained the attention of his team. "You heard her, get to work! The Inter-High is approaching and if we're going crush Shiratorizawa this year, our skills need to be refined!"

"Nicely spoken, Iwa-chan! I wonder why you don't have a girlfriend if you can be that motivating!" Oikawa sang in a go lucky manner.

"SHUT UP DUMBASS!"

Before everyone could flee, Eri snatched Yahaba and pulled him aside.

"I know preparing to fill Oikawa-senpai's spot is tough for you, but at least try to practice spiking, it's important for a setter as well," Eri reminded the setter in front of her.

Said setter winced very slightly, but enough for her to spot.

 _Seems to me that's a touchy subject for him_.

"It's tough, I'm basically trying to fill the spot of someone who's setting are matched by almost no one, I'd be carrying the weight of the team's opposition, their expectations," Yahaba exhaled, his usual carefree attitude gone.

Eri poked his forehead incrediously. "Have you forgotten the rules of volleyball?"

"Um, that's a stupid question."

Eri's intense yet cool stared locked onto Yahaba's very soul. "Obviously you have. Have you forgotten that the team with the better six is stronger?"

Somehow on the other side of the gymnasium, Iwaizumi sneezed.

Yahaba stared at her with his eyes wide and didn't say a word, stunned. Eri in response again poked his forehead.

"Stop staring, it's creepy. Now get back to practice."

"H-h-hai!"

* * *

It had only been one day of the Training Camp and Eri was wiped. After Himiko and Yama had prepared dinner (she was only in charge of pouring sauce into the bowls), the team literally pounced on the food like starving dogs.

 _They are teenage boys who just finished one hell of a practice, I suppose they have every right to be ravenous._

Somehow, she found herself scrunched between Oikawa-senpai and Iwaizumi-senpai, and across from Watari. Sighing very quietly to herself, she ate her curry slowly, the complete opposite of the team. Yama and Himiko were lucky enough to be on the ends of the table so they weren't squished between two giants.

"Ne Eri-chan, if you want to grow, you have to eat! Or I'll steal it from you!" Oikawa trilled, waving his spoon dramatically in the air.

Eri's eye twitched in annoyance, as did Yama's. "Don't call me by my first name senpai."

"Ehhhh? But Kunimi gets to, why can't I, your esteemed captain?" Oikawa whined excessively.

"HE DOES WHAT?" She loved her brother, but one of these days she might kill him. "WHAT DOES KUNIMI CALL YOU!?" In a matter of two seconds, Yama had bolted from his seat, stood behind Eri protectively and glared at Kunimi.

The boy being glared at just kept on eating his food and stared at Yama, as if he was innocent. Which he was, but not in Yama's eyes.

"Yama-nii, chill." Eri deadpanned. "I let him call me 'Eri-san'. He followed me all the way Sendai blindly without question. I think it gave him the right."

Yama grumbled to himself while Eri steered him back to his seat and forced him into sitting back down. Whipping around, Yama glared and pointed his chopsticks threateningly at Kunimi, who didn't even flinch.

"OI! Don't get too close!" Yama ordered then sullenly returned to eating.

"Hey, aren't you scared?" Kindaichi whispered to Kunimi in fear.

"Not really. I'm more afraid of Eri-san's mom and Toyosaki-senpai, from what I've heard." Kunimi responded dully.

"Eh? Why?"

"Do your own research."

 _So has he figured out who I really am? This makes things interesting, if he knows who my parents used to be and who I'm descended from on both sides, and what I can do. Yes, maybe I underestimated Kunimi-kun. He's a lot smarter than I originally took him for. Maybe he should be a bishop rather than a knight. Certainly not a castle or pawn, but not yet the queen_. Eri mused, piecing the puzzle together. _How can I use him to my fullest advantage? He's too big of a presence to be considered a decoy, but he's not the big key in the equation. More like a side one. Or perhaps the formula used to solve the equation. No, that's Oikawa-senpai._

She sighed, man was she tired. She barely goes through a day without at least one nap, and she had taken none, except for the one in the car. She was literally thinking about keeling over and letting Yama carry her useless self to bed, even though it was only 7:13 in the evening.

And then her dreamy state was shattered. Pulling out her phone, she inwardly smiled. Taka-chan.

"Hai, Moshi moshi?"

"ERI-CHAN! HOW'S IT GOING?" Takara's bubbly voice blasted from the phone, causing Eri to hold it out an arm length, and for all the occupants in the room to stare at her curiously.

"Taka-chan, not so loud please."

"Oh sorry! I just called to let you know that I'm alive in Tokyo and I just finished the first day of practice!"

Hearing Takara's energetic voice warmed Eri's heart just a bit. "That's cool. Is there all the elite skaters from Japan?"

"Most of them. Even Katsuki Kristi is here, and she barely skates anymore!"

"Who?"

"Oh, you know Katsuki Yuuri right? Silver medalist of the Grand Prix last year? Married to Viktor Nikiforov?"

"How could I have not?"

"Well she's this really famous elite skater, much better than me. The Katsukis adopted her and her sister a few years ago, so she's Katsuki Yuuri's younger sister, and she was a bigshot wonder, until she tore her ACL in one of the Grand Prix's, so she can't really skate professionally anymore, but she's still really good!"

 _I guess tearing an ACL means the end of most sport careers, tragic_.

"I see. Stay safe in Tokyo."

"OK! Bye, got to go! I'll call again soon!"

With that, the line went dead. Eri sighed, Takara was really a bundle of energy, but not as bad as Hinata. Thank God for that. Glancing to the right, she saw Oikawa melting in a puddle of disappointment.

"How come she called you but not me?!"

Rolling her eyes just the tiniest, she left the room and started doing the dishes, since she wasn't allowed to do any cooking, for fear of burning the house down. A good 12 minutes later, (yes she counted), she finally finished the dishes then headed towards the girl's room. On the way, she ran smack into Hanamaki, who brightened up and practically dragged her to the boy's room.

"Got another player!" Hanamaki announced cheerfully.

Eri's nose wrinkled in protest. "Excuse me?"

"We're playing 'Never have I ever!" Yahaba said excitably. "Want to play?"

"No." Short and blunt, that's how Eri dealt her cards.

"Maybe another time," Himiko grinned, suddenly appearing from behind Eri. "Come on!"

Once again, Eri was dragged into another room, this time theirs. Himiko sighed in relief, flopping onto her futon. Eri copied her friend, what a day. Himiko heaved out a huge sigh, laying sprawled out all across her futon.

"I'm beat. I'm not going to wake up for a million years!" Himiko proclaimed, thrusting her arm into the air.

Eri pulled on a black t-shirt with a picture of the 12 Juuni Taisen characters (it's a really good anime) and black stretchy shorts before she crawled into her bed. Himiko flicked off the lights, and climbed into her own bed.

In the girl's room, it was nice, peaceful and quiet. In the boy's room, it was a completely different story. Mizoguchi had to yell at them three times before they settled down. Yama really wanted to be reassigned, especially with Oikawa throwing petty comments Yama (although the latter could have taken them better than screeching his head off in retaliation). Right before Eri herself fell asleep, she heard her phone buzz. Cursing whoever texted her, she glanced groggily at her phone. Hinata. Of course.

Ultimate_Decoy: Ichijo-kun! GUESS WHAT?!

Human Cat: What?

Ultimate_Decoy: Nekoma's coming at the end of Golden Week for a practice match!

Human Cat: Nekoma? You're having the first legendary Battle at the Garbage Dumps for the first time in years? Where? This I've got to see.

Ultimate_Decoy: Wow, you've heard of them? I'll send you more details later.

Human Cat: My parents used to take me to a lot of their games when the Old Ukai and Coach Nekomata used to hold them regularly.

Ultimate_Decoy: LUCKY! DIDJA EVER SEE THE LITTLE GIANT?

Human Cat: Yeah. Now leave me alone! I'm trying to sleep!

Ultimate_Decoy: WAH? Tell me about the Little Giant!

Human Cat: Text me the info for the practice and I'll tell you then.

Ultimate_Decoy: OKAY! See you then!

Shutting of her phone, Eri snuggled back in utter bliss and comfort under her warm futon. Perfect peace and tranquility.

* * *

They say dreams are keys to the past, present and future. A guide and a map. All you have to do is interpret them. Good luck. She had another dream.

Dragons. War. Peace. Fighting. Love. Anger. Hate. Joy. Wrath.

Flashes and images sped past faster than one could ever discern correctly. Yet if one looked closely and hard, they would be able to see the picture of two roads. One was smooth, straight, and easy. It led to a large fertile meadow. The other was bumpy, jagged and much more difficult. It went over a steep mountain, and also led to a large happy meadow. Two sisters came at a crossroads, and then the two separated. One sister chose the easy path, and easily made it to the meadow her respective path led to. However, when she reached the fields, the illusion was torn and the meadow was overturned in fire and water, and the sister burned in flaming hot flames.

The other sister, although she took the harder path, finally made it to the joy filled meadow, after many trials and tribulations. She spent the rest of her days with others who had chosen the hard path and had earned great rewards for staying true.

Yet what did this all mean?

* * *

 **The anime that will be referenced here are animes that are realistic, like Yuri on Ice, or Your Lie in April. Thanks for reading and reviewing! The character from another anime, was not in fact Katsuki Yuuri and Viktor Nikiforov. It was Ichijo Issei, from Nisekoi: False Love. He's not too important, but a bit necessary. I really don't consider this a crossover, since it's only really referencing a few things, not a full blown out crossover.**

 **Additionally, the Yakuza type organizations mentioned by Tatsu earlier in the chapter are not mine, I just used them as name droppers.**

 **Port Mafia-Bungou Stray Dogs**

 **Phantomhive (Funtom) Company-Black Butler**

 **Aogiri- Tokyo Ghoul**

 **Beehive Gang- Niseoki**

 **Shuei-Gumi Clan- Nisekoi**


	9. Everyone has a weakness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't updated in forever! Life has been so crazy that I haven't had time, and I've had massive writer's block. But I've returned with another chapter! Note, this chapter is where a bit more darker elements play into the story. Such as the yakuza, trafficking, underground shady business, and stuff like that. It's definitely not going to be the main focus of the story, but plays a minor role in Eri's life, which is why it's included. Just that note of warning, and I think we're good to go! My apologies if it seems like a shorter chapter, because it probably is.**

* * *

Golden week was passing in a blur, between watching drills, stretches and semi-coaching, Eri had never felt more tired and exhausted. And she was only taking a whole heck of a lot of notes, the team were the ones actually physically exercising and her brother with Himiko doing the cooking. Still, since Hinata had sent her the information about the Nekoma versus Karasuno practice match, she hadn't gone to scout any other teams yet. And the practice match was tomorrow. Eri sighed while doing the dishes, she did wish she could have seen Johzenji, maybe another time.

Smiling softly, she did remember the legendary Battles at the Garbage Dump her parents used to take her to. Yama had never shown any real interest in the sport, but Eri recalled the thrill and excitement she felt whenever she watched them soar high in the sky to spike, or to block. Even when players dived to save the ball, it made her heart thrum in elation. Of course, she never had wanted to play the sport herself, far too lazy. But she adored watching it. She smiled faintly as the memories resurfaced.

 _Eri bounced happily on her heels, around the age of seven. Before she was tainted by the world's darkness and cruelty. Gazing around joyfully up on the stands above, Eri watched in pure glee as the Nekoma current libero skillfully received a powerful spike by Karasuno's current ace._

" _Mommy! Look how cool he was!" Eri chirped, eyes shining brightly._

 _Tatsu laughed warmly, casting a small glance at her young daughter. "Yes, very."_

" _I'd say amazing!" Ryuu added, ruffling Eri's head with affection._

" _Yeah, but the black team is also super cool!" Eri was jumping up and down now in happiness, trying to peer over the railing._

 _Chuckling at his daughter, Ryuu picked her up and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She squealed in delight, a huge smile plastered on her face as she watched the practice match commence. Far below, both coaches of the rival teams glanced up and saw the thrilled child above. They both loved her, knowing Eri since she was just an infant. Tatsu grew up with Ikkei Ukai in Miyagi while Ryuu grew up with Yasufumi Nekomata, even though Tatsu and Ryuu were about ten years younger than the two coaches. They were her godfathers in the event if the Ichijo couple died. No godmother._

" _Look alive boys! Play with excellence!" Nekomata-sensei called out, a prideful gleam in his eyes._

" _For your biggest fan is here to cheer you all on!" Ukai-sensei finished, proudly watching the teams and his goddaughter._

 _Eri giggled happily as only a seven year old could from atop, waving her hands and kicking her legs. Fortunately, her father did not sway or fall over, and merely kept her upon his shoulders. As the players served, spiked, blocked, and receive with great finery and skill, Eri grew only more delighted. Of course, Karasuno had never ever won against Nekoma, and they didn't break the streak today. Once the practice match was over, Eri raced down the stairs to where the teams and the coaches were meeting and saying farewells._

" _Ukai-Ojii, Neko-Ojii!" Eri burst out, her words tumbling out of her mouth rapidly. "It was sooooooooo cool!"_

 _The two elderly men shared an amused glance and patted her head with care._

" _Thank you Eri-chan," Nekomata smiled. "But you know, it wasn't us who made the game cool."_

" _Oh yeah!" Eri whipped around with a wide smile and shimmering eyes towards the players. "You guys were so amazing! I want to see you all win nationals!"_

 _Despite the fact there was no way both teams could win nationals, none of the high schoolers felt rude enough to correct the jubilant child. The first years were a bit perplexed at the familiarity and kindness the coaches (especially Ukai) and the senpais were showing the girl, but chose wisely not to say anything._

" _Like you!" Eri pointed a finger at the Nekoma Libero, a second year. "You have really good reflexes!"_

 _Pointing now to Karasuno's Ace, Eri continued in her frenzy. "And your spiky thingies are realllllllllly powerful!" She then paused for just a second. "Although the guy in the black that throws up the ball for the spikererer kind of holds it too long, isn't that bad?"_

" _It's a 'spiker,' not a 'spikererer'," Tatsu corrected gently, walking over to the teams. "And yes, it is."_

 _The setter in discussion bowed in apology. "I will do my best to correct my errors, thank you for telling me."_

 _Nekomata heaved a hearty laugh. "She's a sharp one! She'll be a proficient coach should she ever be one!"_

"Eri-san?"

Eri shook her mind out of those fantasies, long ago memories. Turning to the voice, it was Kunimi.

"It's strange for you to space out like that," he merely said.

Tis too true for words. She nodded her head in shame. "I was thinking."

Kunimi lightly pushed her over to assist her with the dishes. Maybe chivalry wasn't dead after all. "May I ask what it was about?"

Eri pursed her lips, drying a plate. "A memory of when I was happy."

A simple eyebrow raised at that statement. "And you're not now?"

"Let me rephrase that," Eri clarified. "When I expressed more positive emotions."

Kunimi made a silent ah shape with his mouth. "Basically, back when you weren't exposed to the world and you weren't hurt somehow."

 _Stop._

 _Stop._

 _Stop._

 _Please stop. It hurts too much than I'll ever admit._

"Yes." Eri replied after a moment.

Why was he making her feel these things? No one had ever made her feel this way before, and not the "my heart flutters in anticipation" type of feeling. The kind of feeling where it feels as if someone is stabbing endless knives into her heart and they won't stop, no matter how hard she tried. Also, she sensed Kunimi could tell she was massively uncomfortable, and for some reason, a surge of hate pulsed through her. She was appalled at herself, Kunimi was probably the only one she'd even come close to considering a friend at this training camp besides her family. Why now?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uneasy." Kunimi said, actually having really concern in his tone.

Dammit. She hated how that despite the fact she'd closed off her heart years ago to anyone new, both Taka-chan and Kunimi had somehow wormed themselves inside.

"Don't mind," Eri said softly.

He merely sighed and pushed her over gently even more, finishing the dishes for her. She'd have to go buy another bag of salted caramel for him now, and why did she feel slightly happy to do so? Emotions, so troubling. Things were certainly much easier when all she did was sleep and draw. When no one pestered her except for Hinata, he's a special case. Even so, she'd never felt a spark of friendship with Hinata, just cruel amusement that he had no team. It's a very believable fact about her, but she's not the most sympathetic person around.

"Ne, Kunimi-kun," Eri asked, perched on a stool nearby while watching Kunimi do her task.

If someone offered to do her work for her, she had no complaints whatsoever.

"Yeah?"

"What's a weakness? I'll share mine if you share yours."

He nodded in understanding. "An exchange of information then, alright. I'd have to say one of my flaws is being snappy at my sisters when they get too loud."

A useful piece to remember, this she stored away in a special part of her brain. She knew he disliked loud and far too-energetic people, as she usually did. A word of consideration.

"Now for me," Eri mulled over, wondering what to give away that wouldn't reveal too much about herself. "I can be self-depreciating at times, although I wasn't always that way."

Kunimi coughed, soap suds having gotten into his mouth accidently. "That is surprising for you, but not for girls, no offense. One of my sisters is like that."

"Which one?"

"Aika. I'm presume you started becoming self-depreciating when the world hadn't "tainted" you yet."

"…You'd be correct." Eri was desperate to steer the conversation away. "How many siblings do you have?"

She almost regretted telling him that.

The question took him off guard for a moment, he caught that she was attempting to change the topic. "Why do you want to know?"

A sly smile settled on his lips. A game of wills was certainly delightfully fun.

"What if I was to say that I want to know the family of my friend so if I ever meet them I won't embarrass myself."

Both of them then froze in absolute shock. For Kunimi, it was that she just admitted aloud that he was a friend. And for some reason there was a tiny faster beat in his heart. For Eri, it was also that she confessed that she liked him enough to be a friend. She didn't know what was happening to her, and she didn't like it at all.

A sneaky smirk onto his face. "Do I get bonus points for being promoted?"

"Absolutely not."

He laughed, and Eri found that she quite liked the sound of his laugh. Unknowingly, she did what she thought she would never do again. She did realize it until she heard both Oikawa-senpai and Yama screech in pure astonishment and shock.

"ERI! YOU'RE SMILING?!"

Of course, this prompted the rest of the entire team to come bolting into the kitchen area, displaying around the same levels of vocal and facial shock. "EHHHHHHHHH?"

Eri lifted a shaking hand to her lips, turns out she was. Kunimi was also lightly staring at her mouth, although he averted his eyes with a slight red blush once he realized she noticed him. The smile disappeared immediately off her face, disappointing Yama and the team immensely.

"Ichijo-chan!" Yahaba whined childishly. "You looked much cuter when you were smiling!"

A sudden wave of self-fury washed over her. "Nice to know I'm only here for my non-existent beauty, don't expect me to smile again anytime soon," she spat coldly, storming from the room and out of the building, and onto the dark shadowy streets of Miyagi.

It wasn't until she was a good mile away that she realized what she had done, and what it had did for her reputation. She probably took it way too far, and she was sure Yahaba didn't mean it like that. Yes, that was it, she misinterpreted it. And this was why she hated emotions, they made you do and feel things one normally wouldn't do or feel. How unfortunate. She sighed, looking around. Pity, she had absolutely no idea where she had ended up, or where she should go. In all honesty, she was directionally challenged…. Very challenged.

She wandered around aimlessly for a minute, not having a clue what she was doing. Great. Lost at night in Sendai, just perfect. She heaved a heavy sigh, the idiot named Ichijo Eri also forgot her phone before she stormed out. She really needed to get these emotions back inside the box and seal it with duct tape. Spinning around, she halted abruptly, and shrugged. "Guess I'll go this way."

After she wandered for another 30 minutes, she had a feeling she wasn't going in the right direction. Fine, not a feeling, a definite fact that she was utterly lost.

 _I hope I don't get jumped by any of the gangs, even though I know some of them. Like HOMRA, they're on pretty good terms with my family, and outrageously violent with their enemies. Wait, that's just Yata-san._ She sighed, looking up at the night sky above. It was beautiful, the silver stars twinkled against the midnight black, dark blue and deep purple sky. The night wind whipped her long ebony hair around, and Eri slightly shivered, for several reasons. The Jūnikyūkirā Clan was getting bolder, at least that's what she heard on the news recently. Attacking in broad daylight, alerting the police accurately of their presence. Morons. And if she recalled correctly, they operated in Sendai…

Oh snap.

Eyes darting around frantically, Eri was definitely not panicking. Yup, most certainly not. Yeah….. that was a lie. She may not show her emotions outwardly much (although that was currently debatable pertaining the last hour's events), but she was always a mess inside.

A noise sounded from her right and she twisted her head around quickly, apprehensive to the T. It was just a random teenage guy, who was pretty skinny and skittish looking. He threw up his hands in surrender.

"Please don't kill me!" He blurted out randomly.

Eri blinked blankly. "Ehh?"

He straightened, coming into the lamplight clearly. He had light soft brown hair and eyes, a soft, slightly feminine face and was of average height. She guessed around 179 cm (5'9). "You looked like you were going to skewer me, splash me with spices, grill me up and serve me for dinner."

Eri literally had no words. "That's very imaginative. No, you just startled me."

He did a flowing sigh. "Yeah, I tend to dramatize my situations. Sorry about that."

Nodding slowly, Eri's wariness didn't decrease. "What are you doing out this late by yourself?"

"I could ask the same about yourself," he replied cheekily, a cheerful smile on his face and he had tilted his head to the side a bit, similar to a creepy owl.

She was hesitant to answer but maybe he could help her out. "I got lost."

He cracked a small giggle. "Directionally challenged? My younger sister is like that. You need any help getting back to where you were originally?"

"Preferably."

He mock bowed, a humorous smirk on his lips. "Of course your majesty, where to?"

If Eri's judge of character was correct, and 98% of the time it was, then this boy was one she could trust, at least enough to lead her home. "Aoba Johsai High School."

A flash of strange recognition appeared briefly in his eyes, before he raised his head and grinned, pointing the way she came from. "You really were lost, it's that way."

As they walked back to the school, they fell into a comfortable silence, and Eri found she didn't mind it. Well, it wasn't entirely quiet, her spontaneous companion was humming happily and quietly to himself, but other than that, it was fine. The night wind was picking up, and Eri's hair would most certainly be tossed into a tangled mess when she would have to brush it later. Oh the woes of long hair, beauty pays a heavy price, especially for girls. Quite tragic, she may add.

"Sooooooo," he randomly decided to speak up, "if I'm to graciously escort you back to Seijoh, may I inquire the good lady's name?"

Eri saw between the lines. "That's quite an elaborate sentence if you're just asking for my name."

Again, he shrugged carelessly. "What can I say? I'm an elaborate, dramatic guy. I'll tell you mine!" He darted a few steps in front of her with a Cheshire Cat grin. Sweeping down low, he bowed again. "Adachi, Adachi Takao at your service!"

His antics were amusing, if Eri had to say anything about him. A relieving type of amusing, since Oikawa-senpai's got old way too fast, mostly because his antics were more annoying than funny. She didn't crack a single smile, and she was sure Adachi-san had noticed it by now. From the way his eyes darted around skittishly every so often, she guessed he was fairly observant of their surroundings as well.

 _He doesn't seem too important, but I have a feeling that he'll play some role in the giant game of chess,_ Eri thought, already filing him away in her brain. _No matter how tiny, he's someone to be wary of. Maybe a side pawn. Why was he walking around in gang territory by himself anyway? His face is feminine enough to where he might worth some money in the trafficking business. Trafficking, what a nasty business._

"HELLOOOOOOO?"

Eri jerked out of her thoughts seeing Adachi's face right in hers. Startled, she jumped slightly and scuttled a few steps back. "What the heck?"

He laughed merrily, his laugh like clear bells. How odd she picked that up.

"You were spacing out really weirdly and you never answered my question," he grinned and poked the tip of her nose playfully.

 _Personal space please_. "Ichijo Eri."

He didn't quit smiling amiably, but Eri detected the glint of slight realization in his eyes meant something.

"Blessed prize, your parents chose well," he smirked teasingly as she whacked his arm.

Eri found she was starting to like him, just a little bit. During the majority of the walk back to the school, Adachi talked mostly, but Eri threw in her few cents occasionally. It turned out he was an excellent joker teller, even though Eri never laughed or smiled at any of them, she still found them funny. He was also a magnificent storyteller, embellishing his stories he told to pass the time with extreme extravagance and flair. In all, Eri thought he should became either an actor or a theater drama performer.

"Ne, ne Eri! There was this one time my cousin and I tried to fly off the roof of my house using a pair of homemade wings we made when I was eight!"

"How many bones did you idiots break?"

"I was the only idiot stupid enough to jump off."

"That I can imagine."

"I landed in the bushes. Broke my left arm and right ankle. I also once wanted to know what it felt like when you stapled papers together, so I stapled my fingers." (I actually was the idiot who tried this, it hurt like a bitch)

"You were that kid who literally had no sense growing, weren't you?"

"I sure was! I have no idea how I'm not dead yet!"

"As I do."

Eventually, she spotted the lights of the school ahead and the frantic yelling of several certain volleyball players and coaches *cough Mizoguchi*. With an exasperated huff, she could already the fierce scolding she'd get from her brother, cousin, and probably Iwaizumi.

Adachi snickered beside, clearly amused with no sympathy at her current situation. "Someone's in deep shit, it seems like."

"Die in a ditch and shut up."

He laughed loudly, in the 45 minutes he had known her, Adachi was already used to her cold and blunt words. His laugh drew attention to themselves, Kunimi being the first to spot her. With a small word from his mouth, the entire team and coaches practically bolting towards. She sighed deeply, feeling the headache coming.

* * *

Himiko watched as Eri stormed past her in a controlled fury, and immediately red flags flared in her head. Briskly, Himiko darted for the kitchen area to spot Yama screeching angrily at Yahaba, along with Iwaizumi and Watari. She didn't think the usually quiet libero was capable of scolding his teammate so harshly.

"Ahem." She merely had to make her prescence known and all of the boys froze like ice statues.

"May I ask why Eri looked like she might explode on her way out of the building?" Himiko hissed icily.

All of them gulped, especially Yama. He'd experienced her wrath when angry before…

"Yahaba said something that made her upset." Kunimi casually threw the brown-haired second year flirt under the bus, looking like Eri when she needed a nap.

"STAB ME WITH KNIVES WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, WHY DON'T YA?!"

Himiko raised an eyebrow, coming to a conclusion rather shockingly fast. "What was it?"

And as Kunimi repeated Yahaba's words, the pieces were starting to fall into place. She was one of the three people who knew Eri's light self-depreciation, when it did occur. The puzzle made sense now. She decided blowing wouldn't be the best course of plan.

"You guys screwed up big time," Himiko sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I'm assuming you know where Eri's brain went, Yama?"

The elder Ichijo also sighed in response. "Dammit. I should have been better."

"Leave her be for a while," Kunimi suddenly suggested. "Let her cool off. She doesn't usually get that emotional, and it's usually best for girls like her to simmer down on their own."

Her eyes landed on Kunimi with regards of the current problem. "You have a very good idea on what Eri is like."

Kunimi shrugged and sat down, energy spent. "I have a younger sister similar to Eri."

Younger sisters, t'was unfortunate that Himiko was an only child, as was her own parents and grandparnets, so she had no cousins close enough to bond with properly. Eri was the closest to a younger sister Himiko would ever get. Rather sad really. But considering Kunimi-san's words, did he know? She glanced at the bored looking boy with a bit of skepticism, this was the boy who managed to convince Eri into coming to this stupid training camp? A bolt of shock rippled through her as he met her gaze and nodded just enough for her to see. So he did, and understood her. Ah, maybe this was why.

A snort of approval came from the lilac haired girl. "I can see why now Eri-chan's taken an interest into you, Kunimi-san."

Yama's head perked up hearing those words, despite all the internal protest inside of him, he did trust his sister's judgement. It had saved them several times before… Iwaizumi cleared his throat, commanding attention.

"So we'll wait for Eri to return," the Ace said, his arms crossed intimidatingly.

Himiko thought he could drop the stern act, but he looked pretty pissed. She didn't blame him. From the corner of her eye, she saw a wickedly smug smirk pop onto Hanamaki's face.

"So who wants to tell the coaches?"

There was no question, and Yahaba was off to his death. Himiko was certain she'd have to plan Yahaba's funeral once she heard the vehement and loud roar "WHAT!" erupt through the building, she didn't even know Mizoguchi-kun was capable of producing such a sound. They sat around like normal, with tense bantering.

10 minutes passed. Himiko wasn't too worried, neither was Yama. Although Mizoguchi was starting to panic, probably because he wasn't involved in the yakuza side of the Ichijo family, otherwise known as Ichijo Ryuu's side.

30 minutes passed, and everyone but Himiko was beginning to panic, with regards to Kunimi because he seemed to be handling it well. But then it passed the 45 minute mark, and Himiko might now be ready to freak out. Even Kunimi's normally blank eyes were wider with alarm. Finally, somehow Oikawa had dragged them all outside to organize a search party, but they stood there for a good 15 minutes arguing on how to accomplish the tasks.

 _Boys, always thinking they have to be the ones in charge,_ Himiko scoffed, her patience running almost as thin as paper. She stood on the outer edge of the huddled circle of boys, attempting to throw in her two cents worth at least once.

"She's back," Kunimi's crisp voice cut into the cool air, effectively silencing them all.

Himiko's head whipped to the direction said, and indeed, there walked Eri along with a light brown haired boy, why did he see vaguely familiar? Yama emitted both a screech of relief and anger, sprinting towards his sister, with the team hot on his heels. Of one thing Himiko was sure of, Eri was going to have the headache of her life, and she most certainly wasn't going to appreciate it.

* * *

He blew out a puff of smoke, his cigarette resting in his fingers. He wasn't worried for his son that hadn't come back home since taking that walk after dinner. Yeah, he knew he probably shouldn't smoke, his wife nagged at him all the time for that. No, he'd be upset if his son was an idiot enough to get himself kidnapped or killed out on the streets. After all, his son was the only heir he had, and that was because his daughters weren't important enough to handle the business, and they'd never be taken seriously.

He wasn't even sure that they knew the exact details of what he ran. His wife certainly didn't, and that was because she always turned a blind eye to his work. All she cared about was her job at a local daycare center. She preferred to stay ignorant to the world's true darkness and cruelty. How ironic, especially for his wife. Plus, his son already said he'd take over eventually.

 _To protect his sisters, how noble_ , he snorted with both skeptical amusement and scorn, remembering his son's words.

He inhaled another sharp breath of smoke, scheming of how to increase his power and influence. His work was being slowly regarded by the media, which promoted fear and panic among the people.

Good.

Fear was always the best way to control people. Look back at the dictators in history.

Napoleon Bonaparte. Adolf Hitler. Benito Mussolini. Joseph Stalin. Mao Ze Dong. They all established their rule with terror, and that's how they maintained control. He smirked, history really did have the answers to today's problems. Maybe it was time he took a page out of history's books.

 **Thanks all for reading! The HOMRA and Yata-san reference is from K Project.**


	10. Battle of the Dumpster

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **Ok, here's the excuse, I was incredibly busy and had no time to update any of my stories. Additionally, I had some writer's block hit me like a two-ton truck. That's the lie and excuse (also partially truth though). The real answer and truth was that I was just too lazy to drag my body to my desk with my computer to write up anything. I re-read some of this story, and I cried when I saw the date for the last update. It prompted me to slap myself in the face and put my fingers on the keyboard. So here you go, hope it's quality enough work. Just give me a minute to remember where I left off last time…**

 **Also head's up! I changed the summary because I felt the old summary was just me trying to put a summary together without really putting some meaning into it.**

* * *

Eri was walking to the Karasuno-Nekoma practice game…. By herself. She trudged along slowly, incredibly moody and grumpy, and it was showing on her face. She did not have a great sleep, and she was also still exceedingly annoyed at the majority of Aoba Johsai….. although it was mostly her fault. She was even pissed at her brother, something that rarely happened. Irritated, yes, pissed, no. Besides, she would have been probably safe, maybe. But no one knew that, and she earnestly hoped no one would ever know. The sun twinkled happily and the wind breezed around her merrily, it seemed as if the entire world was filled with joy. Except her.

Life was so ironic at times. She hissed angrily, kicking at a rock, then instantly regretted it as she received a small scuff mark on her black converse. If she was correct, she was almost there. Pushing her bag back onto her shoulder, she sighed again, remembering last night's events. She was lucky Adachi left before they noticed him, or there would have been seriously MAJOR questions and interrogations involved.

" _That was so incredibly stupid and dangerous!"_

" _What if you have gotten killed or hurt?"_

" _You made us all worry so much!"_

" _You idiot! Don't do that ever again!"_

" _Do you know how reckless that was?!"_

The headaches and nuisances. Those mostly came from Yama, Mizoguchi, and Iwaizumi. Perhaps it was Kunimi that stung the most.

" _I'm sorry to you Eri that I didn't make sure you as my friend wasn't securely safe."_

Eri gritted her teeth; she hated people like that! Making the other feel intentionally guilty! It made her blood boil furiously. Kunimi was dangerously smart, and she hated it, but not at the same time, it was strangely refreshing to have someone who kind of, maybe understood. She scoffed, what was she? A drama teen girl in a cheesy romance novel? No, she was better than that. Much better, she had to be. She was trying to push those memories to the dark pit of forgotten and lost memories. Eri was also lucky she'd manage to slip out before the team could send people after her, she had only told Himiko that she was escaping. She heard some shouting, probably Tanaka or Hinata. She quickened her pace to a fast jog, coming up over the hill and spotted a bus unloading boys in red jerseys. Nekoma's jerseys….

And she spotted an old man with a cat grin.

"Neko-Ojii…" Eri breathed out, recalling some very fond, very old memories of him. Was it possible?

She didn't think they'd noticed her yet, so she started down the hill. It was now she regretted wearing a lightweight black jacket, at least she was wearing black jean shorts and a mint green shirt, and she was partially dressed for warmer weather. It was Yamaguchi who first caught her presence as Eri was carefully coming down the hill.

"Ichijo-san!" He called out vibrantly, waving his hand in warm welcome.

Many heads turned, and she saw recognition in the assistant coach for Nekoma. Finally, she reached the bottom of the hill, walking straight for Yasufumi Nekomata. And she gave him a short but a sweet hug.

"I missed you Neko-Ojiii," Eri mumbled softly.

Coach Nekomata simply laughed in that clever cattish way. "As did I, dear Eri-san. Come, come! Let me introduce you to Nekoma's new team." Starting with one of the tallest members with spiky black hair, Neko-Ojii began naming them all.

"Kuroo Tetsurou, Kai Nobuyuki, Yaku Morisuke, Yamamoto Taketora, Kozume Kenma, Fukanaga Shohei, Inouka So, and Shibayama Yuki."

Secretly, Eri was thrilled to be able to watch another Battle of the Dumpster. Also, she swore she recognized Yaku-san's name. Didn't he have an older sister named Yaku Akemi? She bowed in standard greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"NICE TO MEET YOU!" They yelled, expected of the usual volleyball team, and bowed together.

If Eri hadn't been used to volleyball boy's antics, she would have for sure leaped out of her skin. A cold, cruel, twisted form of amusement lit in Eri's eyes. "I can't wait to see how Nekoma's team has evolved over the last decade."

"Ne ne Ichijo-chan! You didn't say hi to us!" Hinata called desperately.

Eri raked her nails over her forearm. "Oh right, I forgot."

She turned to greet them as well, but it seemed like Tanaka and Hinata had other ideas. Before she knew it, she was trapped in a side hug from both, and she intensely wanted to burn the whole world down. For some reason, she was feeling violently angry today.

"Get your hands off me," Eri said very calmly, yet everyone heard the shaking annoyance underneath, even two dumb idiots like Hinata and Tanaka.

In a blur, they released her and skirted behind Sawamura in hopes of protection. Eri tugged her bag tighter, hoping the rest of the day would go smoother. She did notice two extra players, three if you counted the old bachelor with spiky blonde hair and piercings.

"Who's the blonde punk, goatee man and short gangster?" Eri cut out bluntly.

"Short gangster" started forward, ticked off before Tanaka dragged him back with Ennoshita. "Who you calling short?! You're the same height as me!" The Short Gangster screeched furiously.

And then, flashes of old, past, and buried memories recycled through her head. "Ukai Keishin. Azumane Asahi. Nishinoya Yuu."

Now that answer stunned everyone, especially the fact she knew their names. But she did. For someone who never played the sport and the sport, in general, wasn't her first interest, Eri paid close attention to the youth volleyball world.

"Nishinoya Yuu, from Chidoriyama Junior High, one of the best liberos in the division," Eri recited from memory of her notes. "Azumane Asahi, the Ace of Karasuno who failed to spike past Date Tech's Iron Wall last March. And Ukai Keishin, Ukai Ikkei's grandson."

Ukai-san burst into loud, unruly laughter, no doubt expecting that answer. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'd expect no less from you, Ichijo-hime!"

"Hime?" Nishinoya paused his otherworldly screeching to take heed of Eri's "title."

"It's a complete joke; it came from the Little Giant when he noticed how much Coach Ukai and Coach Nekomata doted on me, as did the entirety of the two teams," Eri briefly explained, slowly inching away from Hinata's growing expression and face of delight. "I almost didn't recognize Ukai-kun, with his new punk look. But I could never forget that pair of cocky crow eyes."

Ukai-san erupted into laughter again. "Still cold and slick I see!"

Eri simply spun on her heel and made her way inside, choosing to sit next to Coach Nekomata for the first set. She flipped open her note, scribbling the day and the event. Coach Nekomata watched her movements with that proud grandfatherly smile. She had certainly grown. The usual standard greetings of the game commenced, and Eri couldn't help the bubbly feeling in her heart from rising as she witnessed the first Battle of the Dumpster in many years.

By a few rotations, her pale, delicate hand was already cramping from the amount of note she'd taken.

 _Let's see, Nekoma's still very much the team it was in the past, that bedhead rooster is certainly a formidable opponent, one of the bests. An excellent spiker, blocker, and receiver. Their Mohawk Ace isn't as impressive but has the charisma that motivates the team, which is also extremely vital in games_. Her sights landed on Yaku, who received yet another nearly impeccable receive. _He's one of the best high school liberos I've ever seen; his morale is exceptionally strong as well. A viable choice I think_. Eri's thoughts strayed to who she believed the truly deadliest member of the team.

 _Kozume Kenma. A literal game fanatic if I ever saw one, he's not very strong or tall, he lacks the enthusiasm that most of his teammates have when it comes to playing. He's a remarkable player, and I do believe I know the reason why._ An icy, calculating light prickled in her eyes as the cold flame of ideas were born in her head. _It seems all that gaming he does doesn't go to waste. He's a brilliant strategist, one of the best I've seen so far. And I know some of the best strategists in the Underworld community. Kozume-san certainly could give them a run for their money._

"Eri-san, how's the team's current standing?" Coach Nekomata asked calmly, guessing what she'd say.

Eri bit the inside of her lip, coming up with a viable response. _It's a test_. "The defense is remarkable, and how the players adapt to wild plays is pretty good. The team knows the other very well, and can fill the holes and connect easily."

"But….?" Coach Nekomata urged her to finish with a coy smile.

And she knew it. "Their offense needs a little bit of work. That's all; Nekoma is a very well rounded team." Her gaze turned to Karasuno. "Karasuno is…. A piece of work. It's almost sad to watch. It's like a full grown cat stalking a baby crow."

"Hmm… I can see that comparison very well," Coach Nekomata commented on her statement. "However, you forget that every team has the room to improve and grow, no team is perfect." He glanced at Eri briefly. "The same goes for people."

He saw it. The thought of the possibility made her breath stop for a moment in fear. Quickly, Eri covered her blunder, nodding serenely in agreement. The wheels in her head began to work again, and she sneaked a glance at Kozume-san, who met her gaze like a calculating cat. For a moment, their minds connected, and they thought the same thing. A timeout was called, for the better of both teams in Eri's opinion.

"Inouka-san, you're in charge of marking Hinata's every move and play," Kozume-san related the plan to his team. "If they keep using it, you'll get used to it."

Eri raised her hand, gaining Nekoma's attention. Kuroo flashed a cat like a grin to her; she took it as a sign she was allowed to speak.

"I'm sure you've all noticed, but their defense is sorely lacking, especially Hinata's and their number 11. Target them, put pressure on them," Eri said, a hidden gleam of a warrior in her eyes. "This most likely makes either their captain or their libero try to cover them, and while they think we're attacking their defense, attack their offense. Make their setter feel cornered and rely on Hinata more and more. Target their weak points and while they're panicking over those spots, hit and break their stronger points to destroy their morale."

If she had told this to Aoba Johsai, they would have sent her to a psychologist in worry of her darker choice of words. However, Nekoma's players merely grinned (most of them, a certain individual just looked even more exhausted) in glee and seriousness. They were willing, and she admired that greatly.

"Crush them all into piles of dust," Eri concluded with an air of finality.

"YEAH!" Nekoma yelled, breaking away from their huddle and returning to the court, as did Karasuno.

 _No doubt Karasuno has predicted Nekoma's moves, and Ukai-kun has probably already alerted them of my tendency to break and shatter teams. They'll expect it. Which is why Nekoma has to be one step ahead, both of these teams will be evenly matched soon, Karasuno will have strengthened their defense by the time the Inter-High rolls around,_ Eri's brain ran a million miles ahead of herself.

From the looks of it, Inouka was marking Hinata excellently, Kozume-san's plan was being executed wonderfully. Inouka was getting to the point where he could match Hinata speed for speed.

 _It also doesn't help Karasuno's case that Hinata's eyes are closed on that extremely fast quick, he can't aim. They're going to get blocked._ Eri paused in her scribbling for a moment. _Perhaps I should go to help them_. _Can't be too biased and only stick with one. That's not my job. I'm not a manager; my role is to promote everyone to be the best they can be, even so-called enemy teams_.

Gathering her notebooks and pens into her bag, she glided to the other side of the court, sitting on the bench. Shimizu was surprised, but gave no mention of it, merely smiling faintly. Eri didn't smile, of course, instead, she dipped her head in response.

"Got any strategy for us this time?" Ukai-kun smirked, teasing her.

"Unfortunately, at the current state Karasuno is in, there's not much I can do for them to beat Nekoma," Eri admitted.

Ukai ran a hand through his bleached hair. "Yeah, I'd figured as much. Their defense is sorely lacking."

Eri made a noise of agreement. "I think with practice, time and trust, they could even beat Shiratorizawa. This is a good team."

"We just have to believe in them!" The teacher….. Takeda-sensei?

She rather liked his charisma and enthusiasm; it's good for a team when they have a supportive teacher advisor. Sometimes, Mizoguchi was too lively, Irihata balanced that out nicely, however.

"I certainly agree," Eri replied softly, watching the progressing game intently.

Inouka was catching up to Hinata fairly quickly, Karasuno would not be pleased when he would finally be able to block the unstoppable quick. She probably should have brought Kunimi to save him from Mizoguchi's horrible grumpy, grouchy temper, but she was still irked at the majority of Aoba Johsai. Kunimi included. Not by much, but still in the circle. Finally, after long last, Hinata opened his eyes to see Inouka block his freak quick.

Eri was slightly ashamed of herself, but her sadistic side loved Hinata's and Kageyama's shocked and frazzled faces. All of Karasunos' worried expressions amused her to a level of satisfaction. Kozume stole a glance towards Eri, his eyes glinting like a hunting cat's. Eri returned it with a coy gleam. Now, she knew Karasuno was panicking. The Crows called for a timeout, and she stood to the side while Karasuno conjured up a strategy to combat Nekoma. Vice-Captain Sugawara gave her a few questionable looks, and she smirked inwardly.

She knew already.

When the game resumed, Eri paid extreme attention to Kageyama, who wasn't panicking quite as she thought he would. Rather, it was the captain and vice, although they did a splendid job of hiding it. However, she was not expecting Kageyama to switch to a normal, floaty quick for Hinata. Considering Kageyama, she really should have. But she didn't, and it insanely impressed her. _His title as King was ill-meant but well deserved_ , she slyly thought.

"Kageyama tried to play his cards right, he failed, but he attempted," Eri muttered, jotting some notes in her notebook. _That reminds me, I haven't finished that sketch of Ochako Uraraka (from My Hero Academia) yet, I should do that later. And possibly find time to catch a snooze_.

Karasuno put up a valiant fight, but in the end, the Crows lost to the victorious Cats. Eri fully expected this, yet she was vaguely proud of the inspiring words her "uncle" offered towards the baby crow team. Somehow, it reminded her of Seijoh, not that she'd ever admit it. She'd already given a few words to Nekoma, so she hurried over to Karasuno (and by hurried, I mean dragged herself). Eri flipped open her notebook, reviewing the notes she had taken.

"Your offense could be counted equally among the powerhouses such as Seijoh or Shiratorizawa, however, your defense is sorely lacking in multiple areas," Eri tapped the side of her leg with her pen thoughtfully. "The libero," Eri gave Nishinoya a pointed look, "your captain and Ace will help you as best as they can, but I suggest you take independent studies as well to strengthen the defense."

Sugawara raised his hand questionably, Eri should have figured. "What do you mean independent studies?"

"Training outside of your normal club practice to simply put it," Eri explained blankly, not entirely sure how the vice-captain didn't get the idea independent practice. "Like, throwing the ball against a wall to practice the correct receiving form."

Eri did not like the gleam in Hinata's eyes. It spelled over practicing and extra time playing volleyball.

"Then will you help us train?!" Hinata spouted off excitedly, his eyes like a kindergartener's.

Casually, Eri flicked his forehead with her finger and scowled. "Absolutely not. Firstly, I do not have time to babysit another group of high school boys. Secondly, I do not even attend this school, coming here would be going out of my way and that's a hard no. Third, I don't want to help you. Period end."

The gleeful, childish glint Hinata had deflated by a million miles.

"Ohoho, so you've become Aoba Johsai's errand girl now," the tall, lanky blonde that Eri had the unfortunate pleasure of calling Tsukishima-san smirked quite pleasantly.

"Can it Stringbean," Eri snapped. "I'm their manager in all but name now that Oikawa has roped me the rest of the team into luring me into the tragic role of manager. Besides," Eri added, giving a hard glance at the much taller blonde, "I'm sure Shimizu-san certainly appreciates being called an errand girl."

From what Eri gathered, Shimizu was an _extremely_ patient and kind girl. However, all girls drew the line somewhere. Eri mentally snickered when Shimizu-san give Tsukishima a fantastic disapproving senpai look, clearly establishing she did _not_ like the first year's comment and the boy withered like a wilting flower.

Eri absentmindedly pushed a piece of her ebony hair behind her ear. "Back to what I was saying if you guys want to ramp up your defense, work on your own as well. However, don't overdo it, that's even worse. Push your limits but respect them," Eri said with a tone of finality. "There are plenty of resources out there that you can find to aid in your….crusade."

She noticed Hinata loudly whisper to Kageyama, asking him what a crusade was. The setter just scowled and said, "how am I supposed to know that dumbass?!"

"For your information Hinata, a crusade was a term used for medieval military expeditions, usually for religious purposes," Eri put it in the simplest terms she could for the clueless boy. "In your way, it means the efforts you'd make to improve your volleyball skills."

All this talking was wearing her out. Eri planned to say her goodbyes for politeness and then skedaddle out. However, it seemed as if Hinata had other plans.

"AGAIN!"

For the second practice match, Eri finished her wonderful sketch of Ochako. _I'll have to do the line art when I get home_ ; she made a mental note to herself while she stashed the artwork carefully in her book, placing it into her bag. For the third match, she took a nice, long, hard nap. She awoke to find Hinata demanding for a fourth match and all of Nekoma and Karasuno dying of exhaustion. Several of them were lying on the floor in a puddle of sweat and weariness. She had to commend them for their endurance; she would have collapsed five minutes into the first practice game.

Ah, but it did seem to be getting late, the sun was glowing a stunningly gorgeous orange-gold. For this very purpose, Eri had switched her phone off, knowing the number of calls and texts she had probably received. She made no effort in assisting in cleanup; cleaning had not been in her job description. While she waited for the teams to finish their little… bonding time…. Eri wrote up some copies of her notes and observations.

 _For their sake I pray they use these notes_ , Eri snorted to herself.

She handed a copy to Shimizu, the only sane member of Karasuno. The older girl smiled kindly and said her thanks and that she'd hold onto it for safekeeping. _Safekeeping is right; the boys would probably rip it only after two minutes_. Eri thought she should have more faith in the Crows, no matter how crazy or reckless they were. She gave the Nekoma notes to their trusty looking libero, Yaku Morisuke. After awkward heartfelt farewells from several of Nekoma's players and an intense looking rivalry between Rooster hair Kuroo-san and Sawamura, Eri was ready to go back to her training team.

 _When did I start thinking of them as my team? I sincerely feel sorry for Yaku-san and Sugawara-san, the moms of the team. They have such troublesome teammates this year, no mattter how hilarious they are._

Neko-ojii gave her goddaughter an old, warm grandfatherly smile. "Take care Eri-san. Tell your parents and brother I said hello."

"I will, Neko-ojii."

Hinata apparently knew Kozume-san already, she pitied the game loving boy, Hinata took so much effort to be around without attempting to kill him.

Today had been chaotic, tiring, and most of all, stressful. Eri couldn't find it in herself to hate it though. Hinata had attempted to give her a high five and Eri promptly smacked him in the face with her bag. That earned her Stringbean's respect and some giggles.

Eri found that all the craziness was worth it after all. Of course, the headache she'd receive when she returned to Seijoh would make her reconsider all of her life's choices up to that moment.

* * *

 **Finally! I got this chapter done and out for you all! I hope it was satisfactory since I've been gone for so long. Thanks to all who last reviewed and I hope to see you for the next chapter, whenever I can get it out.**


	11. Out and about

**Disclaimer: I don't own Haikyuu, all rights go to Haruichi Furudate.**

 **Note: I will be busier now, so updates might not happen as fast as you or I will like. Thank you for your understanding. And thanks to all of those who followed, favorited, reviewed, or just read! It made me really happy!**

* * *

Eri loved her mother. So much. Of course, she had loved her mom from the very beginning, but Eri always found reasons to adore her mom. In this case, her dear sweet mum arrived to pick up Eri so the first year student wouldn't have to trek all the way to Seijoh's Training Camp by foot. Yes, Eri quite positively loved Ichijo Tatsu. However, despite the brilliant façade of warm smiles and happy disposition Tatsu made, Eri sensed something was amiss.

"Okaa-san?" Eri said, staring out of the car window.

The orangey-golden rays of the sun painted the sky with shades of red, gold, orange, and pale pink, and to Tatsu, appeared to give her daughter a natural halo.

"Yes?"

Eri remained silent for a moment, unsure if she should even ask. Unfortunately, Eri was a nosy, meddlesome person, and curiosity won. "Why did Grandfather and Issei-ojii visit, the first day of Golden Week?"

Tatsu yelped in shock, accidentally swerving the car into the other lane. This caused the multiple honking of horns, furious yells from other drivers, and Eri almost passed out in fright. After a very long and terrifying minute, Tatsu regained control of her car and managed to continue driving safely.

With a sharp turn of her head, Tatsu's eyes narrowed at her daughter. "Lying is pointless against you," she admitted, "So tell me how _exactly_ you found that out."

Her hard voice left absolutely no room for argument, unlike Tatsu's normal comforting and cheery tone. Eri regretted even opening her mouth.

"…I found a letter, one with our family Clan's seal on it, while I was searching for one of my sketchbooks Kin had dragged off. I figured Grandfather must have sent it, since only he sends formal letters like that anymore," Eri mumbled out, slumping deeper into her seat. She hated her too inquisitive mind. "Grandfather wrote he and Uncle Issei would be paying a visit."

Tatsu sighed, and Eri knew her mother was cursing herself for not hiding it better. But now, Eri was intrigued; obviously, something of great importance caused her uncle and grandfather to travel to her home, and they rarely visited.

"I don't know if your father wants me telling you this," Tatsu confessed after a long moment of pause. "The Jūnikyūkirā Clan is stirring up some trouble in Southeastern Sendai, and it's getting noticed by the media now. Your grandfather wants to keep the Jūnikyūkirā Clan under wraps since it would open a can of worms that needs to stay sealed tight."

Eri raised an eyebrow; her mother wasn't telling her the whole story. "How does he intend to do that?"

Visibly, her mother bit her lower lip, a sign of hesitation and reluctance of sharing information. Eri waited it out, knowing pressing her mom would only make her clamp up and Eri would never get the desired details.

"He plans to bargain with the leader of the Jūnikyūkirā Clan, a treasure for a treasure," Tatsu finally relented, allowing Eri to ponder on her words.

"A treasure?" Eri echoed thoughtfully. "What does the Jūnikyūkirā Clan have to offer us? Better yet, what do we the Shuei-Gumi Clan have to give them? "

A forbearing, haunted and sad look washed over Tatsu's face before it switched to a more determined one. "That remains to be settled."

The rest of the car ride contained a thick, heavy silence that fell upon the two occupants like a cloak of night. Eventually, they reached Eri's rather undesired destination, and Eri sighed loudly, not bothering to hide her annoyance from her mom. Tatsu snickered in amusement, trying to push the previous conversation into the back corners of her mind.

"Shall I come in and shield you from them?" Tatsu grinned heartily. "I do need to talk to Mizoguchi for a moment anyway."

Eri shrugged halfheartedly, "If you wish."

The two swiftly exited Tatsu's blue car and strolled back to the gymnasium, Eri more or less was dragged. After Tatsu opened the door, Eri shuffled behind her mom to conceal her presence for just a little longer, already dreading the persistent inquiries she was sure she would receive shortly.

"Okaa-san!" Yama hurried over while holding several towels and water-bottles, clearly roped into the manager role. "Have you heard from Eri at all today?! She hasn't responded to her phone at all and sh-" Yama cut himself short when he noticed Eri awkwardly hiding behind Tatsu. "Eri! There you are." Yama's voice was sadistically delighted.

She was dead, fantastically dead. She'd have to crawl out of her grave by herself at this point. Mizoguchi zoomed over, opening his mouth to scold his cousin until he saw his (terrifying) aunt, Tatsu.

"A-aunt Tatsu?" He halted in his steps, a wave of confusion washing over him. "Why are you here?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my nephew?" Tatsu raised an eyebrow, giving him the spectacular 'mom' look.

"NO."

"Well then you have your answer," Tatsu sniped as only a mother could. "I do need to talk to you anyways, come!" She expertly dragged off her nephew into the corner of the gym, where none of the guys were crowding Eri.

Oikawa cleared his throat with authority. "So where were you all day, Ichijo-san?"

Eri blinked slowly like an owl, mocking him before her eyes sparkled mischievously although her face remained blank. "Hey, Kunimi-kun!" Eri called over to the boy on the outer edge of the circle. "I think I found Oikawa's nose in my business."

Kunimi spewed the water he was currently drinking and hacked violently while laughing at the same time. In fact, many members of the volleyball team laughed at Oikawa's expense. Eri did find their energy and company fun…. At certain times.

"Despite your wicked sense of humor," Iwaizumi said, still catching his breath, "You still haven't answered. This is twice in a row you've disappeared on us!"

Eri ground her teeth slightly, she knew they wouldn't have forgotten that yet. "…I was doing some work for my Uncle, and this time, Himiko-chan and Irihata-sensei did know of my whereabouts."

Yabaha-san did not look satisfied with that answer at all, and pushed his way closer to interrogate her further. _Bring it on, Mop Hair. You can't intimidate me_. However, both Matsukawa and Kunimi, the ever saints saved Eri from any extra questioning.

"C' mon guys, do you really think she'll tell us anything she doesn't want to even if we tied her to a chair and poked her with a stick?" Kunimi pointed out with a deadpan face, and with an eyebrow raised.

"She's back safe and sound, have some trust in her," Matsukawa rubbed the back of his head tiredly, and Eri was grateful for his attempt to smooth away the wrinkles of the discussion.

Although the majority of the team weren't entirely pleased with her response, they left it well enough alone and scattered into the far corners of the gym. Yama, clearly disgruntled, shut his own mouth _which was quite the shock since he never shuts up_. Eri sighed in relief, it went better than she expected, yet it was still stressful. Himiko crept up behind and whacked her on the head, smiling softly.

"You're still one of the biggest idiots I know."

"I know."

* * *

Golden week was over, and Eri was so relieved to be back in her own comfy bed surrounded by a fortress of pillows. No more noise from annoying guys from the next room over, no more waking up earlier than humans were supposed to, no more mountains and mountains of dishes to wash, just her regular old schedule back. She briefly wondered what her mom discussed with Mizoguchi was about, but ultimately decided to leave that alone…. for now. Oikawa had tried to wrangle extra information out of her but was stopped by a smack to the head by the trusty Iwaizumi. Trust was something hard gained but easily lost. And she might have lost theirs.

On the plus side, Takara was supposed to be returning from Tokyo later in the early afternoon and had invited Eri out with her sister and Himiko for a mall date. Himiko, of course, had accepted for the both of them, Eri had gotten used to it very well by this point. All the boys and coaches had returned to their homes, to rest before Monday arrived and then school would be back in session. Currently, Eri was lying like a slug on her bed, doing absolutely nothing productive.

Perhaps she could be finishing that self-imposed art project, or typing that pressing email to her uncle, or digging through her parent's bedroom on any other clues about the alarming situation with the Jūnikyūkirā Clan. Even better, she could be snoozing, since she lost more sleep than she would have liked during the training camp. No, instead she was just laying on her bed, with her cat Yuki curled up next to her side. It was quite relaxing. That is, it was until her phone rang abruptly and loudly. Her cat jolted, giving Eri a rather nasty scratch on her wrist.

Sourly, Eri reached over her cat, who had now settled back down and was purring happily, to answer her phone. "Moshi Moshi?"

"Eri-chan!" Takara's normal cheerful voice bubbled out. "I'm finally back in Sendai!"

Ah, it was Takara. "Taka-chan, it was only a week."

"Ah, but I missed you even though the Ice Skating Training Camp was really fun!" Eri could practically feel Takara' radiant smile through the phone. "Anyways, my sister and I are heading for the mall, when do you expect you and Toyosaki-san will arrive?"

Ooh…. Eri quickly glanced at the clock, 3:48 pm. "… Give or take, I'd say… around 4:00." _And that's only if we bike our butts off_ , she thought bitterly.

"Great! See you soon!" The line ended and Eri sank deeper into her bed.

 _Time for the impossible,_ Eri mentally sighed and rolled, literally, and collapsed onto the floor. She was aware Himiko was in the bedroom the Ichijo's had given her since she was a very frequent visitor, and called out to the other girl. "Himi-nee! Be ready in two minutes!"

"Alright, I'm good to go whenever you are!"

At this point, Eri couldn't care that her hair was a horrible, tangled mess, she was wearing a wrinkled shirt and shorts she'd normally wear only in the house and her sandals didn't match. She didn't want to spend any more effort in changing her appearance, instead, she focused on getting there on time. "Let's go."

All Himiko had to do was race over to her own house, a house away from the Ichijo Residence, hop onto her bike and speed off towards the city area, with Eri puffing and huffing along behind her. Eri really hated exercise, it was a wonder she was so skinny. Eri had never biked so hard and fast in her life, except for that time she and her cousin were chased by a dog but that's another story entirely. It was a ten-minute bike ride to their destination, and they screeched to a halt right at 3:59 pm, Eri was wheezing a storm while Himiko was right as rain.

"What a lovely bike ride," Himiko smiled delightfully, being blessed in both artistic and athletic abilities.

However, Eri only possessed skills in the arts, and most definitely did not belong to the other category. Eri thought her lungs would burst open if she took another breath. "Quite…..lovely….indeed…" Eri managed to gasp out, still attempting to recover long lost air. Himiko practically dragged Eri's flimsy body around to the area they were supposed to meet the Oikawa sisters since Eri was still inhaling large greedy gulps of air. Eri's legs burned like never before.

 _If this is how Kunimi and Kindaichi feel after practice, then thank my lucky stars I'm not a volleyball_ _player_.

"Eri-chan!" Takara's familiar voice shouted from the other side of the street.

Swiftly, Eri turned her head to spot three other girls, recognizing one of them. One of the girls she assumed was Taka-chan's older sister. The other had long shiny copper hair, along with the smallest hints of waves, her hair was currently styled into a loose messy ponytail yet still elegant. The girl's skin was pale, paler than the normal Japanese person would be, and her eyes a strikingly piercing light green. In a hurried fashion, Eri and Himiko crossed the street to meet their companions.

"Eri-chan!" Takara wept the dark-haired girl into a crushing hug, grinning brightly before releasing Eri. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Eri nodded her head in response. "It is good to see you again, how was Tokyo?"

"Really fun! But aside from that," Takara dramatically spun on her heel and stretched her arms out in her sister's direction. "This is my older sister, Oikawa Tanya! She's a second year at Seijoh!"

Oikawa Tanya smiled politely, bowing gently in traditional Japanese custom. "Nice to meet you. Please just call me Tanya, it's what I'm used to."

"I'm in Tanya's class so I actually know her already," Himiko smiled gracefully in return. "We're friends."

 _At least Himiko is familiar with her_ , it was this moment that Eri remembered Tanya was not the only girl she did not know. The other girl, technically a full grown woman, was literally a carbon copy of a certain setter from Seijoh she knew, just shorter in height, longer hair and female. And she had a pretty good guess who the woman was.

"I'm Oikawa-Watanabe Takako, Watanabe is fine," the woman said warmly. "Don't mind me, I'm just tagging along to get a break from my son."

 _All three Oikawa sisters, this will be an interesting time together_ , Eri was anticipating all the mischief she knew they would be getting into that afternoon.

"Let's go!" Takara declared, concluding introductions and the five of them began walking towards the shopping district. "I'm looking for a bracelet I promised a friend back in Tokyo I'd buy, and I need opinions."

"At the end, let's head to that café, my treat," Watanabe offered amiably, twirling her blue wallet in her hand.

Eri was not opposed to free food at all. Let the shopping trip begin. It turned out that Takara was quite the picky shopper, Watanabe was not afraid to spout out her most honest and blunt opinion, and Tanya shared similar fashion choices as Himiko: elegant, practical, and stylish. Eri was mostly there for the free food promised at the end, and because Takara had asked her to be there, she didn't want to disappoint her. Now that was something new. The hunt for the perfect wristlet was still ongoing. Apparently, the bracelet was for one of Takara's fellow pro ice skaters, and a guy. So the bracelet wasn't supposed to be too fancy.

"What about this one?" Himiko asked, pointing at a dark brown leather strand.

"Too skinny," was Takara's immediate response. "How about this green one?"

"Looks like a baby barfed it up," Watanabe waved her hand dismissively at it. "Disgusting."

"This black one looks nice," Tanya held up the bracelet.

"Ehhh, too elaborate for a guy," Takara shut down that idea.

"Red?"

"He doesn't like that color much anymore."

"What in the world are you thinking, that purple and orange wristlet is absolutely hideous, put that down!"

"I thought it looked good, how about that striped one?"

"Nah, too retro. Something more modern and practical."

"Nee-chan, this guy seems really picky…"

"Or it's just you, Takara. Are you sure this guy is just a fellow ice skater friend?"

"Shut up and help me look like you two said you would."

At this point, they were never going to find a bracelet that suited Takara's tastes. Eri was beginning to think this friend of hers was more than a simple friend, at least in Takara's eyes. Although she was genuinely curious, who was she to pry in Takara's private life like that? A wide black and white wristband caught Eri's attention, it was similar to the wristbands gymnasts used for their grips on the uneven bars. Fingering it, Eri turned it over, the price was fine and it was of nice quality. Simple, practical, and stylish in some aspects.

"Taka-chan, this one looks good, what do you think?" Eri held it up for the girl, allowing her to inspect it.

After a few moments of looking the wristband all over, Takara smiled, proclaiming the wristband the perfect gift. Watanabe sighed in relief dramatically, as did Tanya. The purchase was much quicker than the search had been, and they finally made it out of that store.

"Wow! That took forever!" Takara exclaimed, stretching her arms up.

"Wonder why…" the eldest Oikawa sister muttered under her breath.

Himiko stifled a giggle. Takara spun around on her heel, beaming brightly.

"Where to next? We have another two hours or so," she asked.

Tanya pointed to a clothing store nearby, filled with stylish and probably pricey accessories. "I need a new shirt for the teaching conference I'm attending next weekend."

Eri raised an eyebrow and wrinkled her nose slightly in skeptics. "A teacher's conference?"

"I volunteer part-time at a school daycare, for kids whose parents' are teachers and have to stay late. I really do love it," Tanya said, a smile blooming on her face.

Eri really didn't get the concept of liking children. She was the youngest kid on her dad's side, and the youngest cousin on her mom's side was only three years younger than her. So she never grew up around babies or toddlers, since she always tried to avoid kids younger than five like the plague. Her mom said caring for children took practice and eventually, you'd get the hang of it and love it. She failed to see the appeal of changing stinky diapers and hold screaming, screeching babies.

Himiko blossomed cheerfully, "That's so sweet!"

Watanabe shook her head and stuck her tongue out playfully, "Takeru's enough for me, that boy is a wild alien, takes after Tooru and me too much."

Eri forgot Watanabe was a mother. Takara shrugged, not really caring for kids either, and she pushed all into the clothing shop. Tanya was a lot easier to shop with than Takara, mostly because she was a lot more agreeable. For instance, Tanya didn't entirely mind if one shirt had too many ruffles, or if the shirt she liked was a different shade of blue than she originally wanted. Himiko was like that, on the other hand, Eri was a nightmare to shop for. She preferred her clothes simple and plain, only have a few more elaborate clothes in her closets and maybe three dresses. Today, in fact, she was dressed like a slob that had crawled out of bed mere moments before. Unfortunately, that was the actual truth.

"I can't decide between the light green one and the dark red one," Tanya murmured, holding two hangers with two different cute blouses on them.

The green one was lower cut in the front and had cold shoulder white sleeves, while the red shirt had black sequins on the chest area and made from a silkier fabric. Eri gave them a closer look, before nodding her head at the green blouse.

"The green shirt compliments your eyes better, and contrasts well against your hair," Eri gave her final verdict.

Watanabe smirked, snatching up the green shirt to pay for it. "Are you sure you're not a fashion stylist in secret? You have a keen eye for this type of thing."

"It's an art."

The day was waning fast, and they visited the tea shop, where Watanabe bought some relaxation tea leaves. Himiko bought some new paints at the art store, and Takara bought EXO's newest album in the music store. A few other stores were visited; Eri didn't buy anything, although she noticed a pair of sparkling earrings that she was tempted to buy. Throughout the day, Eri silently listened to the conversations, earning valuable information. Apparently, Watanabe was employed at the Sendai Airport as an airline pilot, so it was one of the rare weekends she was out casually shopping. Tanya loved children and wanted to be a teacher, and Himiko was actually the one who asked Yama out, which was the opposite of what Yama had claimed. And lastly, Takara knew more about the Yakuza system than Eri was comfortable with, she gained that only from one casual sentence.

"Yeah, the disturbances in Sendai are wilder than normal," Takara had mentioned briefly and casually.

Everyone had their own secrets.

"I think it's time to hit that café, I'm craving some milk bread," Watanabe sighed happily, content with the day's trip. "Yup, it's been a good time."

Eri was looking forward to that delectable strawberry cake that was calling her name. And despite her not being as social as Takara or Himiko, she found herself enjoying the mall run with this group. High school was softening her up, but she found she didn't mind so much anymore. The five finally reached the cozy and warm café, with Watanabe graciously paying. Eri browsed over the menu choices, stuck between the strawberry parfait and the sweet melon cake.

"We meet again, little dragon."

How funny. Eri yanked her head up from the menu, spotting the owner of the voice.

"Adachi Takao. What a surprise."

* * *

 **Sorry for taking two months with this chapter, it's up now! I ask you do not get discouraged with the amount of OCs, and the lack of focus on the actual volleyball teams. Simple, this is an OC-centric fic where the story revolves around Eri, who although has volleyball connections, that's not entirely her main focus. The OCs are to develop Eri's character, as you might have noticed during the shopping trip. Thank you and have a good day/night, wherever you are!**


End file.
